Secret History of Al-Qa'Ida

Over the last ten years, journalistand al-Qa'ida expert Abdel Bari Atwan has cultivateduniquely well-placed sources and amassed a wealth ofinformation about al-Qa'ida's origins, masterminds andplans for the future. In this book, Atwan reveals how al-Qa'ida's radical departure from the classic terrorist /guerrilla blueprint has enabled it to outpace lessadaptable efforts to neutralise it. The fanaticism of itsfighters, and their willingness to kill and be killed,are matched by the leadership's opportunistic recruitmentstrategies and sophisticated understanding of psychology,media and new technology - including the use of theInternet for training, support and communications.Atwan also argues that current events in the Middle Eastrepresent watershed moments in the group's evolution thatare making it more dangerous by the day, as it refinesand appropriates the concept of jihad and makes thesuicide bomber a permanent feature of a global holywar.