Osama Bin Laden

Abstract

9/11 almost instantaneously remade American politics and foreign policy. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Patriot Act, water boarding, and Guantanamo are examples of its profound and far-reaching effects. Most biographies of Osama bin Laden depict him as an historical figure, the mastermind behind 9/11, but no longer relevant to the world it created. These accounts, it is argued here, have contributed to a widespread and dangerous denial of his continuing significance and power as al-Qaeda chief. This book provides a corrective portrait of bin Laden, showing him to be a figure of remarkable leadership skills, strategic genius, and considerable rhetorical abilities. Written by first head of the Central Intelligence Agency’s bin Laden Unit, the book draws from a wealth of information about bin Laden and his evolution from peaceful Saudi dissident to America’s Most Wanted. Shedding light on his development as a theologian, media manipulator, and paramilitary commander, the book makes use of all the speeches and interviews bin Laden has given as well as lengthy interviews, testimony, and previously untranslated documents written by those who grew up with bin Laden in Saudi Arabia, served as his bodyguards and drivers, and fought alongside him against the Soviet Union.