Zarqawi: The New Face of Al-Qaeda (Paperback)

~ (Author), Damien Martinez (Author)
Key Phrases: wal jihad, rear base, Ansar Al-Islam, Osama Bin Laden, United States (more...)

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 first biography of the man who leads Iraq's bloody insurgency… a dense, detailed chronicle of the insurgent's evolution. -- Jonathan Curiel, The San Francisco Chronicle

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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.com Sales Rank: #850,944 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars In this type of book, the truth is better than even the best fiction, October 28, 2005

By	György Lengyel (Budapest, Hungary) - See all my reviews

This book has just reached Hungary. I read it in English but you will have to forgive my writing in that language.

The concern is that many facts, they are not correct. Another reviewer points out the improper conclusion about Musharraf and Bhutto. To obtain and maintain credibility, this kind of mistake cannot persist.

At times I could have been reading a novel. But this book is depicted as factual. I am not sure of how to believe.

The author is a frequent media focus. This does not make him correct on all fronts.

Nonetheless much interesting information is in this book. It is therefore I think useful as a quick oversight of the topic of Zarqawi and his organisation in Iraq. For a more precise version it is the unfortuate fact that you will have to seek another source.

GL

9 of 9 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

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!

8 of 8 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)

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.