Osama

How is it possible for one middle-aged Saudi millionaire to threaten the world's only superpower? This is the question at the centre of Jonathan Randal's riveting account of Osama bin Laden's role in the rise of terrorism in the Middle East. Randal - a journalist whose experience of the Middle East spans the past forty years - makes clear how Osama's life epitomizes the fatal collision between the twenty-first century West and the Islamic world. His investigations into the history of Al Qaeda produce all kinds of surprises, such as the real sources of Osama's money, and the possibility that Osama offered the Saudis his Al-Qaeda forces to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait in 1991. In this new, updated edition, Randal explores the fate of Al Qaeda and its leader in the aftermath of the Iraq war, and discovers that Osama's jihad has been strengthened, not weakened by the US invasion. With his long-maintained sources in the Middle East and his intimate understanding of the region, Randal gives us a clearer explanation than any we have had of why, where and how the world's most feared terrorist operates. "An account that is simultaneously detailed and fast paced ...witty, opinionated, ..Of all the flutter of bin Laden and Al Qaeda books, Randal has produced the most readable and informative." - Richard A. Clarke, former head of US counter-terrorism operations "The volume does a nimble and often highly compelling job of leading the reader through the labyrinth of information and speculation about Al Qaeda and the broader jihadi movement, showing how Islamic terrorism has evolved and proliferated over the last two and a half decades " - New York Times "an outstanding achievement...thorough and penetrating" - Publisher's Weekly