Through Our Enemies' Eyes Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America

While we have all seen and viscerally felt the damage bin Laden has unleashed on the United States, most of us do not have a coherent understanding of what motivates him and his supporters. This could pave the road to disaster, for the forces bin Laden has led and inspired are a far more lethal, varied, and unique threat than that posed by any others labeled "terrorist" over the past quarter century. Furthermore, the strength of his personality and message is likely to create an enduring legacy that will persist long after bin Laden's own departure from the scene. Bin Laden's railing diatribes, full of historical allusions and Koranic references, may sound like the irrational ramblings of a madman to those in the West. One must understand, however, that there exists a sizable population in the Muslim world with whom bin Laden's words resonate. Much as the spiritual fervor and fiery rhetoric of America's founding fathers incited a revolution against British colonizers, bin Laden's eloquence and religious conviction are intended to unite the Islamic world in a defensive jihad against what he describes as America's predatory war on Muslims. Only history will show the success or failure of his endeavor. Through Our Enemies' Eyes focuses on what extremists such as bin Laden have said and done and estimates the impact of those words and deeds on the Muslim world. The author assesses bin Laden as a person (his personality, his leadership capabilities, and his intentions), his al Qaeda network, and the historical and religious contexts in which he acts, and details the radical Islamist push for a defensive jihad that has bin Laden at the forefront. Finally, the author analyzes what all this means for U.S. interests.