Rating: 
Summary: Don't Ignore this Book!
Review: CNN Reporter Maria Ressa has written a wonderful first hand look at the links between Al Qaeda and the home grown Muslim Insurgency Movements in Southeast. Anyone who is interested in this region or wishes to know more about terror networks should read this book. In a rather short book (221 readable pages), Ressa provides a succinct and fact based treatise on the origin of fundamentalist terror networks in Southeast Asia and their links to Al Qaeda. Anyone who doesn't think that such links exist, will most definitely change their minds after reading this book. While the book does not provide an in depth historical view, it does bring to light the development of these networks in the 1990's and how they were coopted by Al Qaeda. To Ressa's credit, she does not write the book as if she were reporting from the front lines and the occasional references to her own experiences in the area only serve to reinforce her points. Unfortunately, at the end of the book, Ressa does tend to get a little preachy and gets caught up in the anti-U.S. sentiment regarding the current war in Iraq. While her points are well-taken and may be even proven correct eventually, they detract from the overall thesis she presents, which is that terror networks in Southeast Asia are the next battleground in the war on terror and one that will be much harder to displace then they were in Afghanistan or Somalia. Most of all, Ressa, a Filipina-American, has been able to bridge the gap between these two cultures and enable all of us outside of this region to more fully appreciate its complexities and problems. I would also recommend this book to anyone who will be traveling to this region.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Ignore this Book!
Review: CNN Reporter Maria Ressa has written a wonderful first hand look at the links between Al Qaeda and the home grown Muslim Insurgency Movements in Southeast. Anyone who is interested in this region or wishes to know more about terror networks should read this book. In a rather short book (221 readable pages), Ressa provides a succinct and fact based treatise on the origin of fundamentalist terror networks in Southeast Asia and their links to Al Qaeda. Anyone who doesn't think that such links exist, will most definitely change their minds after reading this book. While the book does not provide an in depth historical view, it does bring to light the development of these networks in the 1990's and how they were coopted by Al Qaeda. To Ressa's credit, she does not write the book as if she were reporting from the front lines and the occasional references to her own experiences in the area only serve to reinforce her points. Unfortunately, at the end of the book, Ressa does tend to get a little preachy and gets caught up in the anti-U.S. sentiment regarding the current war in Iraq. While her points are well-taken and may be even proven correct eventually, they detract from the overall thesis she presents, which is that terror networks in Southeast Asia are the next battleground in the war on terror and one that will be much harder to displace then they were in Afghanistan or Somalia. Most of all, Ressa, a Filipina-American, has been able to bridge the gap between these two cultures and enable all of us outside of this region to more fully appreciate its complexities and problems. I would also recommend this book to anyone who will be traveling to this region.
Rating:
Summary: Seeds Of Terror - Maria A. Ressa
Review: I currently work as a security professional for an international firm in Asia. I was also a former military counterintelligence officer engaged in force protection in Southeast Asia(and East Africa). I have read many books on the subject of international terrorism and terrorism in the Asia Pacific region. I remain vitally interested in this subject and the threat terrorism poses to US commercial interests in the region. I found "Seeds Of Terror" to be one of the most complete, thoroughly researched and informative books that I have read on the terrorist threat in Southeast Asia. It is clear to me from this book that the region was, and remains, a key battleground in the West's war on terror. Ms. Ressa's literary work in "Seeds Of Terror" is as outstanding as her television journalism on the same subject. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars (you don't have 4.5 ratings) is because I thought the material in the book would have been enchanced with photographs and perhaps charts that graphically portrayed the Jemaah Islamiah organization. Perhaps in later editions. Bravo Ms. Ressa!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad - but "CNN-style" rather than academic
Review: In this fascinating book, investigative reporter for CNN, Maria Ressa traces the evolution of terrorist movements in Southeast Asia from the early 1990s to the present. While the American government slept, Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda helped Muslim terrorist groups form in such countries as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. It organized these groups, trained them, armed them, and provided them with expertise which is often beyond anything that their host countries can conceive, much less deal with. With sparkling clarity, the author puts all of the known information about Muslim terrorism in Southeast Asia into chronological order, showing what was done, how and why. Most frighteningly, Ms. Ressa shows that these terrorist organizations are firmly entrenched in their host countries, sometimes with their governments' connivance, and are planning and training for more and bigger acts of terror. I must say that this is not a happy book! The author paints a frightening picture of the Muslim groups in Southeast Asia, their abilities and their plans. It does go to show that the war against terrorism is far from over, and round two might be heading our way. Admittedly, at the end the author drops her factual recapitulation of the history of these groups, and wanders into political editorializing. But, considering her position as an employee of CNN, this is hardly surprising. Overall, I found this to be a fascinating and highly informative book, not to mention a rather frightening one! If you are interested in the war on terror, and wish to read about a theater of operations not often talked about, then this book is for you!
Rating: 
Summary: Extending the Discussion
Review: Just recently having written about the 9/11 Commission Report, I mentioned that the report neglected considerations surrounding Southeast Asia. In Seeds of Terror, Maria Ressa, using her position as CNN bureau chief in Jakarta exploited her access to obtain interviews with key players, government officials, as well as intelligence reports and interrogation summaries -- most of them apparently classified and many until now not printed. Ressa brings all of this related `stuff' narrating a wide-ranging story of the persons, events, time frame and locations of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), who according to Ressa is a transnational Islamic terror network at the hub -- of which its key allies are Al Qaeda and the MILF in the Philippines. In this book, Ressa deftly explains JI's Plan B and the eventual bloodshed in Bali. As a non-academic introduction to the names and places relating to the goings on in Southeast Asia - this book is an amazing resource. If only for the insider information and the enormous risk that Ressa took to obtain this valuable information the book deserves the thumbs up.
Miguel Llora
Rating:
Summary: The present situation is scarier than you think
Review: Maria Ressa is a long-time CNN correspondent in Southeast Asia which is home to an underappreciated terrorist network. She has reported on numerous terrorist groups in the region, and in this book, she reveals the reasons for the rise to prominence of such groups as the Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah. Most people are only aware of bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, but Ressa's book clearly shows that the extremist network in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore is just as dangerous. Ressa enumerates the reason for the reasons for the rise of Islamic extremism in Southeast Asia: establishment of religious schools that double as recruiting centers for terrorism, widespread police and military corruption, lack of strong intelligence, and the governments' unwillingness to crack down on terrorist groups for fear of being labelled anti-Islamic. 9/11 may have been the most significant terrorist attack in recent history, but the Bali blasts, the multiple simultaneous bombings in Singapore a few years back, and the terrorist-backed uprisings in places such as Ambon, Indonesia signify a possibly greater threat arising in Southeast Asia. Ressa clearly outlines the connections between terrorist groups in Southeast Asia with al-Qaeda. An Indonesian, Hambali, sits on al-Qaeda's governing council. Funds channeled from al-Qaeda helped fund both the bombings in Bali and Singapore. Many terrorists in the region trained under and met Osama bin Laden during the "jihad" in Afghanistan, and many are products of al-Qaeda's many training camps. The importance of this book is that it awakens us to the dangers that are arising in Southeast Asia. Ressa does a fantastic job on reporting on these pressing issues because she has access to many politicians, bureaucrats, and other leaders that few get to speak to, and she even presents evidence never before published. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the dangers that have not directly affected the US yet but are sure to hurt us in the future if not stopped now.
Rating:
Summary: The present situation is scarier than you think
Review: Maria Ressa is a long-time CNN correspondent in Southeast Asia which is home to an underappreciated terrorist network. She has reported on numerous terrorist groups in the region, and in this book, she reveals the reasons for the rise to prominence of such groups as the Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah. Most people are only aware of bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, but Ressa's book clearly shows that the extremist network in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore is just as dangerous. Ressa enumerates the reason for the reasons for the rise of Islamic extremism in Southeast Asia: establishment of religious schools that double as recruiting centers for terrorism, widespread police and military corruption, lack of strong intelligence, and the governments' unwillingness to crack down on terrorist groups for fear of being labelled anti-Islamic. 9/11 may have been the most significant terrorist attack in recent history, but the Bali blasts, the multiple simultaneous bombings in Singapore a few years back, and the terrorist-backed uprisings in places such as Ambon, Indonesia signify a possibly greater threat arising in Southeast Asia. Ressa clearly outlines the connections between terrorist groups in Southeast Asia with al-Qaeda. An Indonesian, Hambali, sits on al-Qaeda's governing council. Funds channeled from al-Qaeda helped fund both the bombings in Bali and Singapore. Many terrorists in the region trained under and met Osama bin Laden during the "jihad" in Afghanistan, and many are products of al-Qaeda's many training camps. The importance of this book is that it awakens us to the dangers that are arising in Southeast Asia. Ressa does a fantastic job on reporting on these pressing issues because she has access to many politicians, bureaucrats, and other leaders that few get to speak to, and she even presents evidence never before published. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the dangers that have not directly affected the US yet but are sure to hurt us in the future if not stopped now.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad - but "CNN-style" rather than academic
Review: Maria's book is well researched (although at times highly questionable ; as in her assertion that the OKC bombing may have been linked to Al Qaeda). Her style is a little too much a reflection of her work at CNN - lots of hyperbole and drama and use of the first person. On the whole a fast read that offers some insights amid a lot of self-back patting.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely a must read of the professional and layman alike
Review: The Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of Al-Qaeda;s Newest Center of Operations in Southeast Asia, Maria Ressa (Free Press: New York, 2003) Maria Ressa has walked the walk and now is ready to talk the talk and put pen to paper to tell the real story of terrorism in Southeast Asia. Few journalists, and for that matter, few military and intelligence professionals are as qualified to analyze and assess the threats in Southeast Asia as Maria Ressa. She has written a book that must be read by every professional in the military and the government who has a role in the War on Terrorism. However, concerned and interested citizens and anyone with business, family, social, or political connections to Southeast Asia will also find this book extremely enlightening and valuable. What she has done is to fuse together information and analysis from many sources throughout Southeast Asia that is in many ways superior to that provided by intelligence services of any single country. Her access to high level sources in and out of governments in the region as well as the trust she has established with many well-connected civilians from all walks of life has allowed her to piece together the complex mosaic of how Al Qaeda has emerged as the over-arching threat in Southeast Asia. No single intelligence service could match her work and unless all the intelligence services in Southeast Asia are willing to cooperate and share information they will not rival Maria Ressa's analysis of the War on Terrorism in Southeast Asia. One of the most valuable contributions this book makes is the assessment of the West's weaknesses that if not understood and addressed will allow Al Qaeda to continue to operate and expand its influence and connections with other terrorist organizations such as Jemaah Islamiyah, the Abu Sayyef Group, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to name a few. Her assessments also could rival any counter-insurgency expert. While the world focuses on the counter-terrorism aspect of the War on Terrorism she correctly understands that it must be viewed as an insurgency on a global scale and that the West must do a better job of fighting ideology with ideology because law enforcement and tactical military operations will not be enough to defeat this threat. The center of gravity is the moderate Muslims of the world and the West must embrace them and ask to help support their efforts to eradicate the radical elements that are perverting the Islamic faith for their own power and ideals. We have much to fear from Al Qaeda because according to its own manual Islamic governments "are established ...by pen and gun, by word and bullet..." Mao Zedong believed that power grew out of the barrel of a gun too, but despite this belief communism has been discredited and neutralized around the world because of the superiority of the ideology of freedom and self-determination. The real question that Maria implies but does not ask is can the West use the same skills and have the same determination and patience in defeating the Al Qaeda ideology as it did to defeat communism? This book must be read and studied by anyone who wants to think critically about the War on Terrorism.
Rating:
Summary: Workmanship Like Job and a Good Read
Review: There were a couple of things that made me cautious about this book. The first was the CNN connection. Frankly, I think that CNN has gone down a notch or two in recent years in terms of impartiality and good reporting, and that is reflected in a drop in ratings and their position being toppled by FOX. A few years ago it just dominated the cable and was the news to watch. Now some of its journalists and shows are (frankly) just second rate. Larry King has become a caricature of himself. It came out that they were not reporting all the news from Iraq so they could stay on good terms with Saddam's government for the last 10 years. They are overly dramatic and seem often to have their own agenda at CNN. Secondly there are a number of books out with a lot of analysis on 9-11 like the Posner book and these are shallow attempts to cash in on a horrible disaster. Anyone that listens to ABC New York radio or reads the New York Times already knows that Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Sayyef , and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are a problem. We do not need another book. There is just a lot of post 9-11 information. Having said that Maria Ressa brings back some shine to CNN - not the other way around. This is a short book just 250 plus pages and is mainly text. But it gives a nice overview of the problem in the region and how it is being handled by the politicians. It is clear that the Philippines and others in the region have handled the domestic terrorists with a lot of political doubletalk and just limited action. So the book is worth at least four stars, is an interesting read, and brings credit to the author. Jack in Toronto
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