Osama - Softcover

Jonathan C. Randal

3.33

111 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1780760558 ISBN 13: 9781780760551

Publisher: I.B.Tauris, 2011

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How was it possible for one middle-aged Saudi millionaire to have threatened the world's only superpower? How did he evade capture for so long? And how was he eventually found and killed? These are the questions at the centre of Jonathan Randal's riveting account of Osama bin Laden's role in the rise of terrorism in the Middle East. Randal - a journalist whose experience of the Middle East spans the past forty years - makes clear how Osama's life epitomized the fatal collision between the twenty-first century West and the Islamic world. His investigations into the history of 'Al-Qaeda' produce all kinds of surprises, such as the real sources of Osama's money, and the possibility that Osama offered the Saudis his band of radical Islamist fighters to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait in 1991. In this latest, fully-updated edition, Randal explores the background and ideologies of Al-Qaeda and its leader, and his eventual death at the hands of US Navy SEALs. With his long-maintained sources in the Middle East and his intimate understanding of the region, Randal gives us a clearer explanation than any we have had of why, where and how the world's most feared terrorist operated.

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About the Author:

Jonathan Randal is a former Middle East correspondent for the Washington Post, and the author of an award-winning book on the Iraqi Kurds, After Such Knowledge, What Forgiveness?

Review:

'Highly compelling.' - New York Times; 'An account that is simultaneously detailed and fast paced ... Of all the flutter of bin Laden and Al Qaeda books, Randal has produced the most readable and informative.' - Richard A. Clarke, former head of US counter-terrorism operations; 'Fascinating ... Better than any previous author, [Randal] explains the volatile regional milieu that enabled a minor son of a Saudi contracting potentate to become a hero.' - BusinessWeek

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