Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda [Paperback]

Jean-Charles Brisard (Author), Damien Martinez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 2005

The first complete investigation of the most hunted man in the world.

Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi has now assumed the role of successor to Osama Bin Laden. This Jordanian terrorist has been designated Public Enemy Number 1 in the United States, with a bounty of over twenty-five million dollars on his head.

Zarqawi's group, Tawhid wal Jihad, has imposed a reign of terror in post-Saddam Iraq, a bloodbath running the gamut from deadly street attacks to the beheading of hostages. Emerging in the Iraqi conflict as the new leader of Al-Qaeda and casting a shadow throughout the Middle East and Europe, Zarqawi is now the dominant force in the jihadist network.

In Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda, Jean-Charles Brisard, international expert on terrorism and terrorism financing, traces Zarqawi's career from its origins to today's headlines, detailing the unprecedented threat he poses to the world. Brisard presents a disturbing and challenging view of United States policy in the Middle East and the war on terrorism. Against the background of an intensive on-the-ground investigation, he reveals the astonishing details of inside intelligence sources, including previously unpublished official documents and photographs, and witness testimonies. 8 page 4-color insert with photos and maps.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This hastily penned biography of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, known to Americans principally for his beheading of Nicholas Berg, is notable chiefly for its innocent failure to answer a fundamental question about terrorism: Why? Zarqawi's past is carefully described here, yet his background offers few clues. An undistinguished young daydreamer and petty criminal, Jordanian Zarqawi appears to have found his calling at a local mosque, where he became a practicing Muslim eager to participate in jihad against the Soviet Union. Zarqawi arrived in Khost too late for battle, but in time to befriend several radical Islamic theoreticians. Such connections eventually lead him to Al-Qaeda, but it wasn't until his cell's successful assassination of U.S. diplomat Laurence Foley that he was admitted to its inner circle. Although Brisard presents the facts of his rise to prominence, the narrative provides little insight into the motivating force behind Zarqawi's actions, leaving the reader, largely, with a simple timeline of events. Individuals and organizations are described and named, but their complexity and unfamiliarity make navigating various Islamic groups and their relationships the equivalent of reading a Russian novel without the requisite family tree. The clumsy translation from Brisard's native French provides an awkward read that often leans on hyperbole. These faults aside, the book provides a depth and history lacking in conventional news accounts.
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Review

'The book is extraordinarily detailed...It is driven by the need to expose - relentlessly, in minute detail - a terrorist conspiracy with al-Zarqawi at its centre.'

Saturday AGE Newspaper

"...fascinating detail on how jihadis now think about 'their war' on the crusader West."

International Affairs --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Other Press (July 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590512146
• ISBN-13: 978-1590512142
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean-Charles Brisard (1968) is an international expert and consultant on international terrorism. He authored the first and most exhaustive study ever written on the financial network of the Bin Laden organization, "The economic environment of Osama Ben Laden". His report was written for the French intelligence community and published by the French National Assembly in 2001. He testified on his work before the US Congress Joint Inquiry into the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and before the US Senate Banking Committee. He served as an expert or witness in prosecutions of terrorism financing and money laundering cases in France, Switzerland, the UK and the United States. Between 2002 and 2009, he served as chief investigator for lawyers representing families of the 9/11 victims in the course of civil lawsuits. He is the author of best-seller "Forbidden Truth: U.S.-taliban Secret Oil Diplomacy And The Failed Hunt For Bin Laden" in 2002 and "The New Face of Al-Qaeda" about Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars don't waste your time, December 13, 2005

By 

S Sys "S Sys" (Phoenix AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda (Paperback)

First, the author hops from one subject to another without really coming to a meaningful conclusion.

Second, it is obvious even to me, a non expert in this stuff that at least some of it is wrong.

Third, he says he's an expert but what has he done? All I could find was that he said he wrote a report for the UN but then it turned out they said he did not.

So my conclusion is save your money and read something else!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Of Marginal Worth, December 19, 2005

By 

Matthew P. Arsenault (SW Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda (Paperback)

Indeed, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi has become the new image of Al-Qaeda, but Jean-Charles Brisard has barely pulled the mask away from the mystery. Seemingly relying solely on press releases, news paper articles and trial transcripts, Brisard constructs little more than a compilation of media snippets and sound bites. The author adds little clarification to the Zarqawi myth than could be gathered from watching CNN or reading the New York Times.

Brisard does provide an interesting look at the process of emergence of terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Central Asia. In addition, Brisard does add clarity to the changing structure of Al-Qaeda, claiming that many of the emerging factions are acting with a high degree of autonomy from Osama Bin-laden and others at the organization's center.

Lastly, the author also presents a brief look at how the security organizations and governments in Mid-East attempt to quell the spread of terrorist factions, while maintaining a relationship with Islamic culture. Nevertheless, Brisard's book has limited scope and only marginal work. I expected much more, and am sorely disappointed. In order to learn more about the new face of Al-Qaeda, I suggest looking elsewhere.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Criticism is Needed, November 1, 2005

By 

Larissa Marek (Prague, Czech Republic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda (Paperback)

The situation in Iraq impacts the entire world. Understanding key figures such as Zarqawi is undeniably important.

This book falls short of the objective of providing this understanding.

It presents many facts but few of these facts are provided with support. A book such as this should be based on facts that are without dispute. It is not always possible to tell which facts are actually facts and which then are suppositions advanced by the author. An argument consisting of this mixture is thus impure and of limited value.

One must also look at the author. In the media he is stated as an expert on the subject of terrorist finance. However his commercial undertaking in these lines in Switzlerland was apparently closed due to a lawsuit. What has he done to support his own claim of expertise?

To be an expert it is necessary to do more than write books. The author has given testimony to the US government but that testimony is diminished as it is claimed that the author did not actually produce a report by the request of the UN. That is a concern.

The author does do work on some US court matters but these are not settled.

A mixed book such as this by an author who is not truly an expert cannot be found to have value.