Religious zealotry, poverty, repression and cheap weapons are critical elements for any terrorist group, but in the hands
of a charismatic leader they can foment a formidable movement. That’s how millionaire Osama bin Laden revived an archaic form of Islam to confront contemporary Muslims, modernity and Western culture. Lawrence Wright richly describes the people and events, including mismanaged U.S. intelligence information, which led to numerous attacks on U.S. interests –
culminating, of course, in the
destruction of the World Trade Center. This disturbing book explaining the prospects of a long-term jihad has all the elements of a crime thriller, except it is real. getAbstract considers this essential reading for anyone interested in terrorism, current events and how the forces of radical terrorism hope to shape the decades ahead.