Al-Qaeda: In Search of the Terror Network That Threatens the World

Rating:
Summary: Informative but lacks an index
Review: Corbin does a good job of analyzing the background to Al Qaeda and bin Laden. This is where her book's strong points are. Her insight behind the events provides the reader with ideas to pursue and some handles on why events unfolded and may unfold in the future.

Unfortunately she inexplicably left out an index and this makes her book very awkard to use as a research tool - looking for material to cite is problematic. She also does not spend much time on the structure of Al Qaeda or events she perhaps did not deal with as a BBC correspondent. Her hands-on personal experience and interviews are otherwise excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Informative but lacks an index
Review: Corbin does a good job of analyzing the background to Al Qaeda and bin Laden. This is where her book's strong points are. Her insight behind the events provides the reader with ideas to pursue and some handles on why events unfolded and may unfold in the future.

Unfortunately she inexplicably left out an index and this makes her book very awkard to use as a research tool - looking for material to cite is problematic. She also does not spend much time on the structure of Al Qaeda or events she perhaps did not deal with as a BBC correspondent. Her hands-on personal experience and interviews are otherwise excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Corbin's "Al-Qeada" is a must read for the educated citizen.
Review: In "Al-Qaeda: The Terror Network that Threatens the World", Jane Corbin provides the reader with an extremely vivid, and thorough account of the evolution of Al-Qeada, and the events that led to the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center towers.
Corbin introduces the cast of characters in an orderly, and easy-to-follow fashion. What makes the accounts particularly interesting are the personal details that follow the growth, and transformation of the attackers from seemingly unremarkable Islamic adolescense, to an eventual jihadi adult "martyr". Corbin reveals the terrorists' use of Western education as a tool in their plot to murder Americans "infidels".
Accounts are supported by numerous interviews with the likes of western agents, military personnel, educators, Islamic fundamentalists, and peaceful Muslims. Discussion with westerners who had become aquainted with the "martyrs" reveal how effectively they had assimilated themselves into western life so as not to appear suspicious. Corbin reveals that even today, some of the westerners that crossed paths with the terrorists are still in denial regarding thier role in killing thousands.
The book provides the essential background knowledge on the history of Al-Qeada, and its development from Afghan patriot fighters, to multinational terrorist "corporation".
After the 11 September 2001 attack, Corbin analyzes the effectiveness of the military and diplomatic response of the western coalition. By the books end, it is clear that Corbin feels that western response has been futile, if not a complete failure.
Corbin's provocative book leaves the reader well educated and intrigued, yet, uncertain about future vulnerability to attack.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read With Some Loose Ends
Review: Jane Corbin's AL-QAEDA is a survey of the emergence of
modern Islamic terrorism, focusing on the rise of
Osama bin Laden and his network, the sequence of
terror attacks going through the Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam
bombings of 1998 to the September 11 2001 attacks on the
US, and the US intervention in Afghanistan that followed
the attacks.

I picked up this book with a few misgivings. It looked
like another "journalist's book", long on talk and short
on substance, saying little I hadn't found elsewhere and
worth only a quick skim to look for anything interesting.

In fact, AL-QAEDA turns out to be a sharply written and
engrossing read, at least up to about halfway through.
The last half of the book tends to lose focus and
accumulate loose ends, almost necessarily because Ms.
Corbin is trying to describe very recent events where
all the facts haven't been discovered, and many of the
facts that have are secrets.

This is forgiveable, and certainly this book does have
compensating virtues, the most prominent being Ms.
Corbin herself, who as a BBC international correspondent
shows up in the narrative every now and then. She has a
certain British "spunkiness", for want of a less corny
term, that is very appealing, with one aspect being
certain heartfelt views of things that she never allows to
degenerate into ranting or posturing.

For example, she regards Osama and al-Qaeda with a certain
cold, understated loathing, which comes out most
noticeably when she discusses the 1998 Nairobi bombing.
Ms. Corbin was raised in Kenya and does not spare her
detestation for terrorists who would kill over 200
innocent bystanders, most of them Muslims, to get at a
dozen Americans.

She relates with dry contempt Osama's attempts to
claim to the faithful in his ranks who were bothered by
this as well that the civilians were being used as "human
shields" by the Americans. She doesn't bother to call
him a vicious crackpot since the facts talk clearly for
themselves.

If AL-QAEDA is not a great or enduring book, it is
still an interesting read. Those who have been following
the subject may not find all that much new in it, but it
is probably well recommended to someone new to the
subject.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book, One of the Most Up to Date
Review: Like many people I have read a number of books and articles about Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda since September 11th and I must say that this has been the best one to date. The author is a reporter from the BBC and her book is very much like the high quality reports one expects from the BBC. There is not a lot of unnecessary emotional descriptions of the events, it is a "just the facts" type of book that is very interesting.

The author takes us through a description on how the al-Qaeda group was formed, the terrorist attacks the group performed in the 90s, and the September 11th event. The detail she gives us for the planning, set up, and actual attack on the 11th is wonderful. You really get a good understanding of the events the terrorists went through leading up to them getting on the planes. She also takes us through the many different items that have come out in the press talking about what the different U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies knew and when they knew it. ...

Overall the book is very good. She does not take sides in the issue of if the U.S. could have stopped the attacks, but she does point out some mistakes that could have prevented some of the attackers from entering the U.S. She also takes a hard look at the military operations in Afghanistan and does not come out of it with a glowing report of the American forces. It is a well written and easy to read book that you will find difficult to put down.

Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Read
Review: This is a great book. Like most other authors, Ms. Corbin examines the big picture of the organization. However, she tells the reader the "behind the scenes" look at some of the organizations main players. She dives into the personal life of Osama Bin Laden, Muhammed Atta, and the other 11 Sept 01 highjackers--fascinating. It is a great sources for someone who wants to see how the other side thinks. Moreover she examines the "hows" and "whys" of the attack, and how these men where able to complete a mission of great scale. I would, and have, recommend this book to anyone. She really did her research! Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Very good read. Very informative.
Review: This is a must read to help understand the people that destroyed our Nations Symbols of Power and tried to destroy our will and strength but only proved to Strengthen our Nations and make us eve more powerful. If you are unsure of who or why these people do what they do this is the book to get an idea.