The Base: In Search of the Terror Network That Shook the World - Tapa dura

The 1990s saw a number of attacks against American targets. The perpetrators were presumed to be Islamic fundamentalists, protesting against the presence of the US in Saudi Arabia. On 11 September 2001, however, the scale of this conflict changed dramatically. The only terrorist group that could credibly have mounted such a devastating campaign was al-Qaeda, many of whose members are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the annihilation of America or the promotion of Islam. Osama Bin Laden has now effectively admitted his leadership of al-Qaeda and its involvement in the US atrocities. Who is he? Corbin's masterly study of not just the 11 September attacks and the response to them but, crucially, the build-up of pressure before, answers these and many other questions in its chilling portrayal of the world's most hunted man.

The late 1990s saw a number of attacks against American military and government offices, most notably the US Embassy bombings in Africa in 1998. On 11 September 2001, however, the scale of this conflict changed dramatically. The kidnapping of four commercial airliners led to the deaths of some 3,000 people. As in 1998, the terrorist group responsible for this devastating campaign was Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, or "The Base", a loose network of extremists, many of whom are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their cause. Jane Corbin has studied Bin Laden's organization for four years and has followed in his footsteps through the Middle East, Africa, Europe and America. She has conducted hundreds of interviews with key eyewitnesses, investigators and intelligence officers around the world. Tracing al-Qaeda's roots back to the jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan, Corbin picks up the complicated trail that led to the collapse of the Twin Towers and beyond. And as President Bush's "war on terror" in Afghanistan poses more questions than it answers, Corbin examine's the West's response to the threat of al-Qaeda and declares it a failure. "The Base" should be essential reading for anyone interested in the history and likely further operation of arguably the biggest threat to democracy since the Cold War.