Al-Qaeda

To most in the West, 'al-Qaeda' is seen as a byword for terror: a deadly, highly organised fanatical group masterminded by Osama bin Laden. But does this tell the whole truth? Prize-winning journalist Jason Burke has spent a decade reporting from the heart of the Middle East and gaining unprecedented access to the world of radical Islam. Now, drawing on his frontline experience of recent events in Iraq and Afghanistan, on secret documents and astonishing interviews with intelligence officers, militants, mujahideen commanders and bin Laden's associates, he reveals the full story of al-Qaeda - and demolishes the myths that underpin the 'war on terror'. Burke demonstrates that in fact 'al-Qaeda' is merely a convenient label applied by the West to a far broader - and thus more dangerous - phenomenon of Islamic militancy, and shows how eradicating a single figure or group will do nothing to combat terrorism. Only by understanding the true, complex nature of al-Qaeda, he argues, can we address the real issues surrounding our security today.

ISBN 0141031360   Pages 416 ISBN13 9780141031361 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 326 Publisher Penguin Books Ltd   Published in London Imprint Penguin Books Ltd   Previous ISBN 9780141019123 Format Paperback   Height (mm) 198 Publication date 30 Aug 2007   Width (mm) 129 DEWEY 303.625091767   Spine width (mm) 24 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level General

A must-read ... Burke's book is the one that will last. It's a triumph -- Giles Foden Guardian The most reliable and perceptive guide to the rise of militant Islam yet published -- William Dalrymple Observer Indispensable -- John Gray New Statesman

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