Bodansky has excellent credentials for this book--many years on the staff of Congressional intelligence committees. He uses this back ground to provide a comprehensive (pre-Cole and pre-9/11) look at the complex international financial and personnel structure bin Laden built to support international terrorism.
While bin Laden was not the spiritual or military leader of the islamic terrorist movement, he is the one who made it viable. He raised the money, developed an international series of interlocking corporations, foundations, and local groups which allowed for the movement of large amounts of money, equipment, and people everywhere from the Phillipines to (as we now know all to well) New York City.
The problem with this book is there are no sources cited. THere is absolutely no way to check the accuracy of Bodansky's narrative. In effect, Bodansky asks the reader to acdept what he says i true based on Bodansky's credentials alone.
It all sounds plausible, particularly in light of September 11, but I found it very uncomfortable having no way to check Bodansky's assertions. Several other reviewers have noted specific inaccuracies--but frankly, none of them touch on the heart of Bodansky's point--that bin Laden is a very competnet paymaster for a wide ranging, extremely dangerous terrorist organization.
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