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Essential reading for 911 witnesses:
This book proves that a gum shoe journalist can have a clearer understanding of this issue than the US administration - with all the zillions it spends on defence. As Mr Reeve indicates, it is quite possible that other intelligence agencies (eg. the Israelis) were more aware of what was coming than the US authorities. It was certainly in Israel's interests to keep quiet and thereby bring the US into their war - as they would see it. For anyone trying to make sense of the senseless events of 911 - I would recommend this book.
A tale of two terrorists---and a war everyone ignored:
The New Jackals is, on one level, a straightforward true crime saga. Yet it remains an early and insightful account of the rise of Islamist terror. Author Simon Reeve was an English journalist who was largely ignored on the subject of terror prior to September 11th. Earlier books such as Reeve's The New Jackals (published in 1999) expose as the theatre of the absurd the recent political grandstanding about "who knew what and when." Everyone, it seems, knew for more than a decade the United States was at war, and no one, it seems, bothered to treat it as such. As the author reminds us, the World Trade Center was bombed almost a decade before it was hit September 11th. London-based Reeve recounts the police investigation that followed the first tragedy. The details of the ensuing manhunt represent true crime writing at its best. Unless a reader closely followed the trial of those eventually arrested and convicted, the information is jarring and, in light of what later happened, dismaying. Reeve writes in a crisp, fast-paced style that captures the frenzied efforts of federal and local law enforcement officers to bring the first bombers to justice. The bulk of the book focuses on the terrorist masterminds. Author Reeve chronicles the now-familiar story of how the "Afghan Arabs" who fought the Soviets later turned against the Americans. Ramzi Yousef, who has been described as what Osama bin Laden would like to be, did not run and hide after he engineered the first bombing of the WTC. In fact, the terrorist went on to plot the bombing of American airliners over the Pacific Ocean. Yousef, now imprisoned in the United States, represents one of bin Laden's more terrifying footsoldiers. As Reeve chillingly points out, there are many on the outside ready to step into Yousef's shoes to carry out bin Laden's goals. Some of the book's particulars are outdated. For example, the once widely held belief that bin Laden worked closely with Saddam Hussein has been debunked. Even so, The New Jackals' revelations should have been the 2,000-pound gorilla in the room. It remains an important account of how terrorists are brought to justice--and how their replacements are created. With 20/20 hindsight, the book also demonstrates why the real tragedy of the first WTC bombing was the lack of any real action against the Islamist terrorists in the decade that followed.
A REVEALING LOOK INSIDE THE MIND OF TWO PREMIER TERRORISTS:
This book is far and away the best "terrorist history" I've read. Even better than "The Cell" (and that's saying something). The author brings exhaustive and original research to the task and engagingly tells the tale of two master terrorists. First is the ungainly, awkward looking Ramzi Yousef. Upon reading this account, my respect for his dark talents increased manifold. A true genius, albeit in the art of mass murder, Yousef brings an unfettered, focused malevolence to his work - as he plans the deaths of literally thousands of unsuspecting victims. His evil is made the more evident by the fact of his non-affiliation: that is, although influenced by his evil uncle Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (architect of 911), he is nonetheless a free lance terrorist - no ideological stars in his eyes, not a mere subset of someone else's evil: he sees clearly, calculates coolly - and is greately disappointed when the 1993 WTC bombing only kills 6 - instead of his target of 250,000 casualties (!!??). The section on Usama Bin Laden is shorter, but still enlightening. This book is an articulate, engaging, easy read and very much worth the time.... I highly recommend it
Very Informational Book!:
Simon Reeve did a good job of displaying the most potent forces in the world of terrorism today.Reeve points out that the war in Afghanistan produced two of the most evil terrorists who are on the world stage today.After the first bombing of the World Trade Center the FBI began a pursuit and investigation of Ramzi Yousef.During their worldwidw investigation of Yousef the FBI discovered another factor in the world of terrorism.The FBI found that Osama Bin Laden,behind the scenes,had been financing terrorist operations all over the world.It was found that Bin Laden was an Arab millionaire who could well afford to finance terrorist operations.This is a well researched book that makes for interesting reading.
a great book:
well researched book that discusses the origins of terror without the usual handwringing... also discusses bin laden in Iraq, as well as other subjects....
| Author: | Simon Reeve | | Binding: | Paperback | | Dewey Decimal Number: | 364 | | EAN: | 9781555535094 | | ISBN: | 1555535097 | | Number Of Pages: | 256 | | Publication Date: | 2002-06-27 |
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