The Base : In Search of Al-Qaeda

384 pages. Text tanned, Cover slightly worn The definitive investigation into the background, personnel and methods of al -Qaeda, the terrorist organisation which represents the greatest threat to democ racy since the end of the Cold War. The late 1990s saw a number of attacks again st American military and governmental offices, most notably the US Embassy bombi ngs in Africa in 1998. On 11 September 2001, however, the scale of this conflict changed dramatically. The kidnapping of four commercial airliners led to the de aths of some 3,000 people. As in 1998, the terrorist group responsible for this devastating campaign was Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, or 'The Base', a loose netw ork of extremists many of whom are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for th eir cause. Jane Corbin has been studying Bin Laden's organisation for four years and has followed in his footsteps through the Middle East, Africa, Europe and A merica. She has conducted hundreds of interviews with key eyewitnesses, investig ators and intelligence officers around the world. Tracing al-Qaeda's roots back to the jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Jane Corbin picks up the compli cated trail that led to the collapse of the Twin Towers and beyond. And as Presi dent Bush's 'war on terror' in Afghanistan poses more questions than it answers, Jane examines the West's response to the threat of al-Qaeda and declares it a f ailure. THE BASE is essential reading for anyone interested in the history and l ikely future operations of arguably the biggest threat to democracy since the Co ld War. …