[Nettime-bold] salon.com's booklist

["geert lovink" <geert@xs4all.nl>]

(via justwatch, from www.salon.com)

By Salon's staff

Sept. 28, 2001 | While the identity of those who organized the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11 remains unclear, there's much of value to be learned
about the man declared by U.S. officials to be their "prime suspect," Osama
bin Laden, and the historical, political and cultural factors contributing
to Islamic militancy in the Middle East and Central Asia. Salon's staff
offers this partial list of recommended books for readers who want to know
more. A word of warning, though: Most bookstores and online booksellers are
out of stock on these and other related titles, and while publishers are
going back to press on almost all of them, they may be hard to find for a
few weeks. In the meantime, try checking with your local used bookseller.
(For an explanation of why this current information shortage is an
excellent argument on behalf of e-books, click here.)

Osama bin Laden and the Taliban

Usama Bin Laden's Al-Qaida: Profile of a Terrorist Network by Yonah
Alexander and Michael S. Swetnam (Transnational, 2001)
Although intended for a somewhat specialized audience of experts, this is a
well-documented reference work about the activities of bin Laden's
loose-knit web of terrorist cells.

Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America by Yossef Bodansky (Prima
Publishing, 1999)
A detailed narrative account of bin Laden's life and the militant Islamic
fundamentalist milieu in which his terrorist network functions.

The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism
by Simon Reeve (Northeastern University Press, 1999)
This book by a former Sunday Times of London writer views the bin Laden
organization's techniques through the lens of Yousef, the engineer of the
1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia by Ahmed
Rashid (Yale, 2000)
By a Pakistani journalist who has interviewed several of the Taliban's
leaders, this book describes how the fundamentalist group rose to power in
Afghanistan after the Soviets withdrew in 1989, and why their repressive
government was welcomed by many war-weary Afghans. Particular attention is
given to the role of the opium and oil trades in the region.

Afghanistan and Central Asia

The Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in
Afghanistan by Artyom Borovik (Grove Press, 2001)
Borovik visited Afghanistan before and during the withdrawal of Soviet
troops and pairs novel-like writing and momentum with lucid firsthand
accounts of the dramatic and dreary business of fighting a ground war in
the country's daunting terrain. Read Salon's review.

Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism by John K.
Cooley (Pluto Press, 1999)
A foreign correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor and ABC News
relates the history of the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan during the
Cold War and after.

An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan by Jason Elliot (Picador, 2001)
A British journalist who has visited Afghanistan several times and fought
alongside the mujahedin recalls the land he came to love in the years
before Taliban rule. Read an interview with Jason Elliot.

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia by Peter Hopkirk
(Kodansha, 1992)
A history of the struggle between Britain and Russia for control of Central
Asia in the 19th century, this tale of espionage and intrigue shows how the
fate of the peoples of Central Asia has long been toyed with in the
strategic battles of world powers.

Terrorism

The Ultimate Terrorists by Jessica Stern (Harvard, 1999)
A balanced and blessedly concise examination of the potential for terrorist
use of weapons of mass destruction. Written by a former fellow of the
Council on Foreign Relations, this book was an early warning of the new
threat. Read Salon's review.

Terrorism & The Constitution: Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of
National Security by James X. Dempsey and David Cole (First Amendment
Foundation, 1999)
While the authors are primarily concerned with the Anti-Terrorism Act of
1996, they provide a cautionary counterpoint to the current rush to gain
security at the price of the liberties that are a signal part of American
life.

Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War by Judith Miller,
Stephen Engelberg and William Broad (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
A trio of New York Times reporters lay out the recent history of biological
warfare and the lack of preparation on the part of the U.S. government for
just such an attack -- against American troops overseas as well as within
our borders.

Origins of Terrorism: Psychologies, Ideologies, Theologies, States of Mind
by Walter Reich, editor (Woodrow Wilson Center Press, 1998)
This collection of essays about how terrorists think (opposing theories are
presented) includes case studies in the factors leading to political
violence.

Saddam's Bombmaker: The Terrifying Inside Story of the Iraqi Nuclear and
Biological Weapons Agenda by Khidr Abd Al-Abbas Hamzah with Jeff Stein
(Scribner, 2000)
A briskly paced, first-person account of an atomic scientist's experience
designing a nuclear weapon for Saddam Hussein, this is a chilling portrait
of the dictator of Iraq and his military aims.

Fundamentalism

The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong (Knopf, 2000)
An erudite, lively discussion, by the noted British scholar of religion, of
fundamentalism in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Armstrong sees
fundamentalism in all three religions as a struggle against modernity
itself, which threatens the way religion has primordially helped people
make sense of the world.

Triumph of Disorder: Islamic Fundamentalism, the New Face of War by Morgan
Norval (Sligo Press, 1999)
A provocative and somewhat controversial exploration of violent
fundamentalist Islam.

Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World by
Benjamin R. Barber (Ballantine, 1995)
In this snappily titled, far-ranging treatise, Barber envisions the clash
between the spread of global consumerism and the fundamentalism that rises
up to beat it back as the central conflict of contemporary life. His
definition of "jihad," very loosely used, refers to a wide range of
reactionary responses, not just to Islamic fundamentalism.

Islam

Islam by Karen Armstrong (Modern Library, 2000)
Part of the Modern Library Chronicles series of short histories, this is a
concise, readable, helpful and ultimately sympathetic account of the
complex history of the world's second-largest religion.

Islam and the West by Bernard Lewis (Oxford, 1993)
Perhaps the foremost Western historian of the Arab world, Lewis has taken
some knocks from critics like Edward Said (in this collection of essays
about Islam's clashes with the West, he whacks back), but his work is still
considered essential by scholars and knowledgeable readers.

The Holy Quran: An English Translation by Allamah Nooruddin, Abdul Mannan
and Amatul Rahman Omar (Noor Foundation International, 1997)
The legendarily beautiful literary Arabic of Islam's sacred book, the
Quran, is notoriously hard to translate, and there's no real consensus on
who's done it best. This is a recent edition, much admired by many.

The Middle East

The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years by Bernard Lewis
(Touchstone, 1996)
The dean of Near Eastern studies provides an overview of the past two
millennia in the region's history. See also his "The Making of the Modern
Middle East."

The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf, Jon Rothschild (Shocken,
1989)
Rich with the accounts of Arabs who were actual witnesses to the West's
invasion of the Muslim empire, this volume reminds us that Europeans, too,
have played the role of rampaging barbarians.

A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation
of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin (Owl, 1989)
A celebrated account of the political dealings and disastrous post-colonial
policies that became the seeds of much of the current tension in the
region.

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power by Daniel Yergin (Simon
& Schuster, 1991)
There's no better book for anyone trying to understand how America has
become so dependent on oil, and thus the Persian Gulf, than this Pulitzer
Prize-winning epic.

Power, Culture and Politics: Interviews with Edward Said (Knopf, 2001)
The noted Palestinian critic and intellectual explains his thoughts on the
dilemmas facing the Middle East and his attempt to find practical ways of
implementing them.

The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran by Robin
Wright (Vintage, 2000)
A reporter for the Los Angeles Times who has spent many years covering Iran
explores the progressive roots of the Iranian Revolution and how it fell
prey to Islamic fundamentalists whose own influence seems currently on the
wane.

Israel and the Arabs

>From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar Straus & Giroux,
1989) An informed, evenhanded, highly readable account of the political,
cultural
and day-to-day realities in Lebanon and Israel in the 1980s, by the New
York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter. Winner of the National Book
Award, it's an excellent introduction to the ordinary people, the leaders,
the issues and the passions of this tangled region.

One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate by Tom
Segev (Metropolitan, 2000)
Much of the strife that continues in modern Israel has its roots in the
British occupation of Palestine, detailed in this book by an Israeli
historian.

Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land Under Siege by Amira
Hass (Metropolitan, 1999)
An Israeli journalist who went to live in the Palestinian region of Gaza
describes firsthand the conditions that have fostered much Middle Eastern
militancy.

Arab & Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. Shipler
(Penguin, 1986)
In a book acclaimed for its balance, the New York Times' Jerusalem
correspondent records the experiences and voices of ordinary Israelis and
Palestinians.

War

The Art of War by Sun Tzu
A classic of military strategy and philosophy, Sun Tzu's aphoristic
treatise (available in dozens of editions and adaptations) is the first
book many people turn to when contemplating contests ranging from business
to sports to, yes, armed combat. Tony Soprano's a fan.

War in a Time of Peace by David Halberstam (Scribner, 2001)
The author of "The Best and the Brightest," a classic work on the Vietnam
War, turns his attention to American foreign policy since the end of the
Cold War, examining how the U.S. has become involved with conflicts in
Haiti, Somalia and the Balkans as well as the Persian Gulf War.

Delta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith and Donald Knox (Avon, 2000)
A description of the founding of one of the military's legendary elite
Special Ops units, one that specifically targets terrorism, as told by the
man who helped create it.

Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (Atlantic Monthly, 1999)
A bestselling account of the U.S. military's disastrous 1993 raid on
Mogadishu, Somalia, this nail-biter shows how easily a Special Ops mission
can go terribly wrong; 18 soldiers died.




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