Rating: 
Summary: A Necessary Supplement to the Evening News
Review: (By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN: 1591133343)"Inside Al Qaeda" tells the story of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. If you watch CNN, you will already be familiar with much of the material in this book. However, the author puts the pieces together in an authoritative manner, providing additional commentary that is necessary in order to really understand Al Qaeda and the rise of militant Islam. Gunaratna tells the story of an Osama Bin Laden who is resourceful, cunning, and willing to kill fellow Muslims as well as Christians and Jews in order to accomplish his aims. The author also reveals the self-serving motives behind so many of Bin Laden's actions. Bin Ladin became an outlaw following a rebuff from the leaders of his own country, who did not agree to entrust the security of Saudi Arabia to him following Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Bin Laden's sense of a personal mission, and his tendencies toward megalomania, are apparent throughout the book. The book also contains many insights into the mindset of Bin Laden's followers. As a Westerner who had minimal knowledge of the Islamist movement, I found these sections to be particularly enlightening.
Rating:
Summary: A Necessary Supplement to the Evening News
Review: (By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN: 1591133343) "Inside Al Qaeda" tells the story of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. If you watch CNN, you will already be familiar with much of the material in this book. However, the author puts the pieces together in an authoritative manner, providing additional commentary that is necessary in order to really understand Al Qaeda and the rise of militant Islam. Gunaratna tells the story of an Osama Bin Laden who is resourceful, cunning, and willing to kill fellow Muslims as well as Christians and Jews in order to accomplish his aims. The author also reveals the self-serving motives behind so many of Bin Laden's actions. Bin Ladin became an outlaw following a rebuff from the leaders of his own country, who did not agree to entrust the security of Saudi Arabia to him following Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Bin Laden's sense of a personal mission, and his tendencies toward megalomania, are apparent throughout the book. The book also contains many insights into the mindset of Bin Laden's followers. As a Westerner who had minimal knowledge of the Islamist movement, I found these sections to be particularly enlightening.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: An excellent authoritative account of the roots of Al-Qaeda, its motives, and its ideology. I saw some complaints about Gunaratna's authority on the topic, and I believe that as an intelligence specialist for the Sri Lankan government, he has as much background on terrorism and terrorist tactics as anyone around. Sri Lanka has been mired in one of the worst terrorist situations in the world for many many years, so I have trust in his assessment of the Al-Qaeda threat. Another large plus of this book is the extensive attention to detail and citing of sources. It's nice to see someone putting forth the facts and telling you the source of the information (the New York Times could learn an important lesson from writers like this). Great book! A+!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: An excellent authoritative account of the roots of Al-Qaeda, its motives, and its ideology. I saw some complaints about Gunaratna's authority on the topic, and I believe that as an intelligence specialist for the Sri Lankan government, he has as much background on terrorism and terrorist tactics as anyone around. Sri Lanka has been mired in one of the worst terrorist situations in the world for many many years, so I have trust in his assessment of the Al-Qaeda threat. Another large plus of this book is the extensive attention to detail and citing of sources. It's nice to see someone putting forth the facts and telling you the source of the information (the New York Times could learn an important lesson from writers like this). Great book! A+!
Rating: 
Summary: Former student continues to be impressed
Review: As a former student of Rohan's, I began reading with high expectations. A conscientious academic with an extraordinary amount of experience in actually comabatting terrorism in his own homeland, Rohan again demonstrates how taking significant risks through often dangerous research can provide insights otherwise unavailable to the interested public. Inside Al Qaeda, while clearly rushed to publication after September 11, provides the most comprehensive understanding available to the world's newest type of terrorist threat. Rohan explains clearly how the global reach of this organization evolved and how it will be maintained without a more broad-based approach by the coalition of nations aligned to defeat it. Furhtermore, Rohan begins to explore the psychological dynamics that drive UBL's long-standing leadership status and the means to defeat those dynamics in the future. Certainly more time would have brought with it more eloquent prose, but what we need now are the facts. And Inside Al Qaeda delivers facts in unprecedented depth.
Rating:
Summary: Authoritative and Well Researched Overview of Al Qaeda
Review: Excellent book. A well researched and overview of Al Qaeda. Provides excellent insights into the ideology and methods of operation for one of the world's most dangerous terrorist groups. Unlike other books on this subject, this work is superbly footnoted, perhaps reflecting the author's academic background. This is essential for a truly authoritative work of non-fiction, something sadly lacking in many other books in this genre. The section on Al Qaeda's operations in Southeast Asia is groundbreaking, providing information not seen anywhere else. Tellingly much of what the author described about Al Qaeda operations in Asia was subsequently demonstrated in spades in Bali last October. The general reader might find this book somewhat dense, the print is small and the reading somewhat dry. For the serious student of modern terrrorism, however, this book is a must have. Other authors should take a lesson from Gunaratna's footnoting. Well worth the price!!
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should read this revised version.
Review: Gunaratna, an expert in his field, gives us a thorough account of Al Qaeda and its widespread influence. While it isn't light reading, it is important reading, especially if you want to better understand what this terror organization is about and what it is exactly. I highly recommend this accessible book to everyone who wants to be better informed about this organization and all that has been so recently thrust into our daily vocabulary and everyday discussions.
Rating:
Summary: Just to add one thing
Review: Having read the book and all of the reviews on Amazon, what more could I possibly add? A couple of the early reviews said, in essence, this book is a waste of time and money. Most of the reviews since then have, while pointing out the many editing faults, effectively demolished that put-down. Well, there is now one thing worth adding. This week's 64 CNN Al Qaeda training tapes have provided visible verification of what Dr. Gunaratna wrote and published last spring, notably including the animal chemical weapons tests. If one cannot quite handle this data rich volume in toto, at least read the two concluding chapters on Asia and on Al Qaeda's threat and the international response. For importance, this book rates a 5. For content, it also rates a 5. For editing, only a 3. Net conclusion: 4 plus.
Rating:
Summary: Al Qaeda is real
Review: I am vey disturbed by the reviewer below who claims that al qaeda is a front for the CIA and that George Bush perpetrated 9/11. While I have heard this conspiracy theory before, it is nevertheless disturbing every time I hear it. With that said, it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Not only is it a preposterous accusation to make, but there is no evidence to back it up, no matter what this lunatic says. Fact-Osama Bin Laden is real, al-qaeda is real, they perpetrated 9/11. Osama Bin laden declared war on the US back in 1996 because of his perception of continued American agression against Muslims. He stated as his main grievances, 1)America's blind support for Israel 2)The presence of our infidel troops in the Holy Land (Saudi Arabia) 3) Our sanctions against Iraq. These along with many other incidents led Bin Laden to believe that the US is a crusader nation out to get the Muslims. For this reviewer to say that these people are not real is utterly ridiculous. As for there being no basis in Islam for terrorism, this is also not true. I do believe that most Muslims are peaceful, and that the religion of Islam does promote peace, Bin laden and his followers did not pull this Jihad concept out of thin air. There are several verses in the Quran that instruct it's followers to slay infidels, strike off their head, etc. I think it is fair to disagree with how this administration is going about the war on terror, but denying that terrorism exists and claiming that it is all "manufactured" by the CIA is the most delusional accusation ever made.
Rating: 
Summary: Promptly Returned It (slightly revised)
Review: I bought this book with high hopes. I thought it might join the very small library of books that are authoritative accounts of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda which aren't tainted with conspiracy theories. I credit the author for not producing a book that blames Al-Qaeda for the accidental crash of TWA 800 and does not link Terry Nichols with Ramzi Yousef to "prove" a hidden hand behind the Oklahoma City Bombing. What I have to fault him and his editors for are errors that rise above the category of "typos." I encountered two in reading just ten pages and for me that was enough to conclude that "Inside Al-Qaeda" desperately needs a heavy editing job that it will hopefully receive in later editions. Perhaps then it can truly claim to be an in-depth analysis of the world's most dangerous terrorist organization: Error Number 1: The author confuses "ulema" (Islamic scholars) with "ummah" (the community of believers). Error Number 2: The author refers to twenty hijackers going to their deaths on September 11. Excuse me? I think there have been about a million news stories that state there were 19 hijackers on September 11. I'd like to think that if this book had received a serious edit, such an incredibly glaring error would have stuck out like a neon sign. If I were a teacher grading the author's book like an academic paper, I'd mark him down half a grade for making a mistake like that. {I'd also like to briefly respond to the argument that a close reading of the book would have revealed that the author was including Zacharias Moussaoui when he referred to the "twenty" hijackers. That cannot be correct. On page 7 of the book, the author categorically states that twenty hijackers went willingly to their deaths. Moussaoui is very much alive. So he could not have been one of the "twenty" men who died.} There are some people who will probably disagree with me about this book. They may very well consider it to be very well written. But given the prices we pay these days for books, I think we readers deserve ones prepared with great care and mistakes like the ones I've cited above put "Inside Al-Qaeda" outside that category. (note: In 2003, a paperback edition came out. I was sorry to see that the author and the publishers had still not corrected the "twenty" hijackers mistake. One is left with the impression that they just did not care about that basic error and that is another indictment of this book.)
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