Knowing Al Qaeda

Author : Christina Hellmich
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2016-04-22
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781317108948

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Knowing al-Qaeda by Christina Hellmich Pdf

Despite a plethora of studies devoted to it, the current understanding of al-Qaeda and the threat it poses remains vague and ambiguous. Is al-Qaeda a rigidly structured organisation, a global network of semi-independent cells, a franchise, or simply an ideology? What role did Osama bin Laden play within the group and its terrorist campaign? What does it mean to talk about the "global Salafi-jihad" threat allegedly confronting the West? In addressing such questions many writers have sought to offer definitive answers, yet overall the truth about al-Qaeda remains elusive. This book moves beyond this traditional approach in order to investigate and critically assess how such answers reflect the particular epistemological frameworks within which they are produced. Its chapters explore the varied contexts within which the obscure entity labelled al-Qaeda is constituted as a comprehensible object of political, strategic, cultural, and scientific knowledge, and within which 'terrorism' is rendered an experience of quotidian life. This volume offers a much-needed critical reflection on Western ways of talking and of thinking about the frightening experience of global terrorism. In trying to know how we know al-Qaeda, it offers us an opportunity to try to know ourselves and our often hidden assumptions about legitimacy, violence, and political purpose.

Author : Peter L. Bergen
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 481 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Interviews
ISBN : 9780743278911

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The Osama Bin Laden I Know by Peter L. Bergen Pdf

Osama bin Laden has haunted the popular psyche and stymied the world's mightiest military for the last five years. Despite President Bush's declaration that he wanted bin Laden "dead or alive," despite being one of the world's most notorious men, and despite the barrage of coverage surrounding him, Osama bin Laden remains at large -- and shrouded in a fog of anecdote and myth, rumor and fact. Peter Bergen, author of the bestselling book Holy War, Inc., offers an astounding, unparalleled portrait of bin Laden, comprised of Bergen's own interviews with more than fifty people who have known bin Laden personally, from his brother-in-law to his high school English teacher to former members of al Qaeda. The resulting collage of voices and memories affords an unprecedented glimpse into the life and the true nature of the man directly responsible for the largest terror attack in history. No journalist knows more about Osama bin Laden than Peter Bergen. In 1997, well before bin Laden became a household name, Bergen met with him, and has since followed his activities closely. After an insightful introduction -- in which Bergen recounts how, at their meeting, bin Laden "presented himself as a soft-spoken cleric, rather than as the firebreathing leader of a global terrorist organization" -- Bergen stands aside to make way for the voices of dozens of people with firsthand, sometimes intimate experience with the al Qaeda leader. Current conventional wisdom seems to be that bin Laden and his organization have faded in importance, but Bergen argues urgently that that perspective is far from accurate -- indeed, each day that bin Laden remains free adds to al Qaeda's public relations triumph, for his legend only grows among his supporters. More concretely, he continues to provide broad strategic guidance for jihadists -- his many statements released on video or audio tape since 9/11, for instance, have exerted direct influence on terrorists' actions. In 2003 the world suffered more significant terror attacks than had occurred in a single year during the previous two decades -- and in 2004, the number of attacks doubled over 2003. In 2004, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, Iraq's most ferocious insurgent leader, pledged his allegiance to bin Laden, a sign of the continued importance of al Qaeda's leader. How did Osama bin Laden transform himself from a shy, polite, middle-of-his-class schoolboy to commander of the world's most formidable terrorist organization? Where was bin Laden on 9/11, and what was his reaction to it? How did he escape from Tora Bora? Is al Qaeda a top-down organization or a loose ideological alliance? What is it about this man that draws hundreds of thousands of followers, and makes men willing to fly airplanes into buildings at his command? This definitive and engaging portrait gives the American public its first true, enduring insight into a man who has declared us his greatest enemy.

Author : Andreas Behnke,Christina Hellmich
Publisher : Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Page : 177 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1409423662

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Knowing Al-Qaeda by Andreas Behnke,Christina Hellmich Pdf

Explores the varied contexts within which al-Qaeda is constituted as a comprehensible object of political, strategic, cultural, & scientific knowledge, & 'terrorism' is rendered an experience of quotidian life, offering a much-needed critical reflection on Western ways of talking & of thinking about the frightening experience of global terrorism.

Author : Doctor Christina Hellmich
Publisher : Zed Books Ltd.
Page : 130 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2012-08-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781848139114

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Al-Qaeda by Doctor Christina Hellmich Pdf

Since the attacks of September 11th 2001 and up to and beyond Osama bin Ladin's death, al-Qaeda has come to embody the new enigmatic face of terrorism, dominating discussions of national and international security. Yet in spite of the attention it receives, conflicting assumptions about the group abound. Is al-Qaeda a rigidly structured organization, a global network of semi-independent cells, a franchise, or simply an idea whose time has come? What is meant by talk of the ‘global Salafi jihad’ that is confronting the West? What are the implications of bin Ladin's death? Christina Hellmich offers a critical examination of the widely-held notions regarding the origins and manifestations of al-Qaeda and the sources on which they rely, mapping the organisation’s alleged transition from what began as a regional struggle against the Soviets in Afghanistan to the increasingly leaderless jihad of the post-9/11 world. Rather than just providing yet another biography of al-Qaeda, Hellmich forensically examines discrepancies between the most common explanations and to the limits of what can realistically be known. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, 'al-Qaeda: From Global Network to Local Franchise' offers a penetrating insight into an organization which, for all its notoriety, is one of the least-understood of our time.

Author : Peter L. Bergen
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 444 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Islamic fundamentalism
ISBN : 9780743278

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The Osama Bin Laden I Know by Peter L. Bergen Pdf

An unprecedented oral history of Osama bin Laden's rise to revered leader of al Qaeda. Terrorism analyst Bergen takes the reader onto the battlefields of Afghanistan as bin Laden goes from a shy, quiet teen to a leader; he brings you into Osama's intimate family life as he lives under the radar in Sudan, then Afghanistan; he puts you right in the room for al Qaeda's very first meeting; and he uses eyewitness accounts to relate what bin Laden said, and thought on 9/11 as he watched the twin towers fall. Derived from Bergen's interviews with more than 50 people who know bin Laden personally, from his high school teacher to an early al Qaeda member who later became a US informant, this book recounts individual experiences with the man who has declared the U.S., and its allies, his greatest enemies.--From publisher description.

Author : Nick Fielding,Yosri Fouda
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 315 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2012-01-12
Category : History
ISBN : 9781611459562

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Capture or Kill by Nick Fielding,Yosri Fouda Pdf

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh, two of bin Laden’s key lieutenants: the masterminds behind the attacks of September 11. Based on the only interview these masterminds of terror ever gave to the media as well as extensive follow-up research, Capture or Kill may be the closest we will get to the full inside story of the plot. While Mohammed and Binalshibh were among the world’s most wanted men and hiding in a safe house in Pakistan, they summoned star al-Jazeera TV reporter Yosri Fouda for a one-of-a-kind exclusive. Fouda knew he might well be walking into a trap, as Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl had done only months before. He took the risk, and, for forty-eight hours, Fouda listened as Mohammed, head of al-Qaeda’s military committee, and Binalshibh, the link between Mohammed Atta and the senior al-Qaeda leadership, proudly claimed responsibility for the attacks on New York and the Pentagon—the first time al-Qaeda took direct responsibility—and detailed for the first time exactly how the plot was conceived and executed. The authors, uniquely positioned because of their prior unprecedented access and research, deliver a thrilling account of what has happened since. What has changed in the intervening years to this insidious global network? How does Osama bin Laden’s capture and death affect its continuing operation? This is a must-read for anyone who wants to know not only the full truth behind September 11, but also the implications of recent events for the future of global security.

Author : Abdel Bari Atwan
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0520249747

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The Secret History of Al Qaeda by Abdel Bari Atwan Pdf

Publisher description

Author : United States. Department of Justice. Office of the Inspector General
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Intelligence service
ISBN : OCLC:70547271

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A Review of the FBI's Handling of Intelligence Information Related to the September 11 Attacks by United States. Department of Justice. Office of the Inspector General Pdf

Author : Syed Saleem Shahzad
Publisher : Pluto Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2011-08-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0745331025

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Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban by Syed Saleem Shahzad Pdf

President Obama may have delivered on his campaign promise to kill Osama bin Laden, but as an Al-Qaeda strategist, bin Laden has been dead for years. This book introduces and examines the new generation of Al-Qaeda leaders who have been behind the most recent attacks. Investigative journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad dedicated his life to revealing the strategies and inner workings of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. He had access to top-level commanders in both movements, as well as within the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service. Shahzad’s work was praised by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for "bringing to light the troubles extremism poses to Pakistan's stability." Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban explains the wider aims of both organizations and provides an essential analysis of major terrorist incidents, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks. In May 2011, Shahzad was abducted and killed in Pakistan, days after writing an article suggesting that insiders in the Pakistani navy had colluded with Al-Qaeda in an attack on a naval air station. This book is a testament to his fearless reporting and analytical rigor. It will provide readers worldwide with invaluable insights into the new phase of the ongoing struggle against terrorism which threatens to tear apart the fragile fabric of so many countries.

Author : Morten Storm,Paul Cruickshank,Tim Lister
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 432 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2014-07-03
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780241968802

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Agent Storm by Morten Storm,Paul Cruickshank,Tim Lister Pdf

Agent Storm - My Life Inside al-Qaeda by Morten Storm Morten Storm was an unlikely Jihadist. A 6'1" red-haired Dane, Storm spent his teens with a biker gang or in jail. But after converting to Islam he embarked on a transformation that led from a militant madrassa in Yemen to a close friendship with Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric who would emerge as al-Qaeda's greatest threat to the West. Then Storm's story took another dramatic twist. He lost his faith and was recruited by the CIA, MI6 and MI5, becoming a double agent. His ultimate mission: to bring down his mentor al-Awlaki. This is the searing memoir of a man who sought purpose in a community of believers before rejecting their extremist ideology. In a quest for atonement he lived undercover for five years, travelling the world to complete high profile missions. As well as single-handedly thwarting multiple terrorist attacks, he led the intelligence services to some of al-Qaeda's most dangerous terrorists, all the while knowing his own life was expendable. Agent Storm takes readers inside the Jihadist world like never before, showing the daily life of zealous men set on mass murder: from dodging drones with al-Qaeda leaders in the Arabian desert to Jihadist gyms in Birmingham. It also gives a rare look inside the world's most powerful spy agencies, including their tradecraft, after-hours carousing - and their ruthless use of a beautiful blonde in a honey trap. Filled with hair-raising close calls, coded messages and chilling duplicity, Agent Storm is a captivating real-life thriller.

Author : Paul Rich,Jerrold M. Post
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2015-01-01
Category : History
ISBN : 0714682748

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Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants by Paul Rich,Jerrold M. Post Pdf

Author : Fawaz A. Gerges
Publisher : OUP USA
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2011-09-14
Category : History
ISBN : 9780199790654

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The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda by Fawaz A. Gerges Pdf

The author re-evaluates the threat posed by Al-Qaeda following a decade of war.

Author : Peter Bergen
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 444 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Terrorism
ISBN : OCLC:156581804

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The Osama Bin Laden I Know by Peter Bergen Pdf

Author : Mark S. Hamm
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781437929591

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Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups by Mark S. Hamm Pdf

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Examines terrorists¿ involvement in a variety of crimes ranging from motor vehicle violations, immigration fraud, and mfg. illegal firearms to counterfeiting, armed bank robbery, and smuggling weapons of mass destruction. There are 3 parts: (1) Compares the criminality of internat. jihad groups with domestic right-wing groups. (2) Six case studies of crimes includes trial transcripts, official reports, previous scholarship, and interviews with law enforce. officials and former terrorists are used to explore skills that made crimes possible; or events and lack of skill that the prevented crimes. Includes brief bio. of the terrorists along with descriptions of their org., strategies, and plots. (3) Analysis of the themes in closing arguments of the transcripts in Part 2. Illus.

Author : Raymond Ibrahim
Publisher : Crown
Page : 354 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2007-08-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780385521420

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The Al Qaeda Reader by Raymond Ibrahim Pdf

The global war on terror is not just a military conflict but a war of ideas. Indeed it is in some respects primarily an ideological struggle. Yet it is a war we cannot win without a broader understanding of al-Qaeda's goals and motives. What do our enemies believe? What motivates their war against the West? What is their vision of the ideal Islamic society? Surprisingly, more than five years after 9/11, there is very little understanding of these questions. Despite our tendency to dismiss Islamic extremism as profoundly irrational, al-Qaeda is not without a coherent body of beliefs. Like other totalitarian movements, the movement’s leaders have rationalized their brutality in a number of published treatises. Now, for the first time, The Al Qaeda Reader gathers together the essential texts and documents that trace the origin, history, and evolution of the ideas of al-Qaeda founders Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden. This extraordinary collection of the key texts of the al-Qaeda movement—including incendiary materials never before translated into English—lays bare the minds, motives, messages, and ultimate goals of an enemy bent on total victory. Al-Qaeda’s chilling ideology calls for a relentless jihad against non-Muslim “infidels,” repudiates democracy in favor of Islamic law, stresses the importance of martyrdom, and mocks the notion of “moderate” Islam. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of these works is how grounded they are in the traditional sources of Islamic theology: the Koran and the teachings of the Prophet. The founders of al-Qaeda use these sources as powerful weapons of persuasion, reminding followers (and would-be recruits) that Muhammad and his warriors spread Islam through the power of the sword and that the Koran is not merely allegory or history but literal truth that commands all Muslims to action. In addition to laying bare al-Qaeda’s ultimate motives, The Al Qaeda Reader includes the organization’s propagandist speeches, which are directed primarily at Americans, Europeans, and Iraqis. Here, al-Qaeda’s many "official" accusations against the West are meticulously delineated, from standard complaints such as the Palestinian issue and Iraq to wholly unexpected ones concerning the U.S.’s exploitation of women and the environment. Taken together, the Theology and Propaganda sections of this volume reveal the most comprehensive picture of al-Qaeda to date. They also highlight the double-speak of bin Laden and Zawahiri, who often say one thing to Muslims in their religious treatises ("We must hate and fight the West because Islam commands it") and another in their propaganda directed at the West ("The West is the aggressor and we are fighting back merely in self-defense"). Westerners from across the political spectrum will be fascinated and enlightened by The Al Qaeda Reader’s insights into the nature of Islamic texts and the ways in which al-Qaeda has used these texts to manufacture hatred against our civilization and our way of life.