Osama Bin Laden: Dead or Alive - Softcover

Griffin, David Ray

Softcover

ISBN 10: 184437081X ISBN 13: 9781844370818

Publisher: THE ARMCHAIR TRAVELLER AT THE BOOKHAUS

Synopsis

The US s political discourse and foreign policy in recent years has been based on the assumption that Osama bin Laden is still alive. George W. Bush promised as president that he would get Osama bin Laden dead or alive and has been widely criticized for failing to do so. The US s present military escalation in Afghanistan is said to be necessary to get Osama bin Laden. The news media regularly announce the appearance of new messages from bin Laden. But what if Osama bin Laden died in December 2001 which is the last time a message to or from him was intercepted?

In this book, David Ray Griffin examines the evidence for the claim made by everyone from former CIA agent Robert Baer to Oliver North that bin Laden is surely no longer with us. He analyzes the purported messages from bin Laden and finds that, as many have suspected, they do not provide evidence of bin Laden s existence after 2001. This leads naturally to the question: if Osama bin Laden did indeed die in 2001, how and why have dozens of messages from bin Laden appeared since then?

Griffin s meticulous analysis supports above all one simple and urgent conclusion: if Osama bin Laden is dead, the US should not be using its troops and treasure to hunt him down.

About this title

About the Author

David Ray Griffin has published 35 books on philosophy, religion, and politics. His most recent book, The New Pearl Harbor Revisited, was a Publishers Weekly "Pick of the Week" in 2008.

Review

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one of the reasons for George W. Bush's invasion of Afghanistan was to uproot al Qaeda and "get" its leader, Osama bin Laden, "dead or alive." President Bush was widely criticized by his opponents, including presidential candidate Obama, for failing to achieve this objective. Why has the United States, with its massive intelligence apparatus and military might, not been able to apprehend bin Laden? In this provocative book, Griffin (codirector, Ctr. for Process Studies, Claremont Sch. of Theology: The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions), a leading conspiracy theorist on the subject of 9/11, seeks to solve this puzzle by asking, What if Osama bin Laden is no longer alive? He points out that the last time a message to or from bin Laden was intercepted was December 2001. Using a vast array of public statements and writings by public figures, military analysts, and former CIA officials and relying on publicly available data, Griffin deconstructs the report of the 9/11 Commission and highlights its omissions. He also examines purported messages from bin Laden since 2001 and finds little evidence that these in fact have come from bin Laden himself. VERDICT After presenting evidence worth pondering about bin Laden's possible demise, Griffin concludes more broadly by evaluating the policy implications of pursuing a debilitating war in Afghanistan. His highly recommended work is worth consideration by both general readers and students of 21st-century international affairs. Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile --Library Journal June 1 2009

About this edition

• Publisher: THE ARMCHAIR TRAVELLER AT THE BOOKHAUS
• ISBN 10: 184437081X
• ISBN 13: 9781844370818
• Binding: Paperback