Reaping the Whirlwind: Afghanistan, Al Qa'Ida and the Holy War

NEW IN PAPERBACK "A necessary book ... a meticulous dissection of the limits of power in a violently sectarian society." -- Los Angeles Times

"Filled with dramatic moments, ironies and political intrigues ... Griffin writes engagingly." -- New York Times Book Review

"Griffin's writing is elegant, flashing in the sun." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A splendid book." -- New Statesman

"A minor classic." -- Journal of Conflict, Security and Development

"Through its detailed reportage and unflagging sense of the big picture "Reaping the Whirlwind" provides a useful primer for historians, policy makers and the informed reader." -- Washington Times

First published weeks before Al Qa'ida became the most reviled Islamist movement in history, this thoroughly updated edition of Michael Griffin's acclaimed book provides a cradele-to-grave narrative of Afghanistan's Taliban movement, its relationship with Osama bin Laden, the hatching of the September 11 conspiracy and the war that followed the destruction of the World Trade Center.

Reaping the Whirlwind now includes: * A blow-by-blow account of the September 11 hijackings, the FBI's failure to apprehend the main protagonists and the ambivalence of the Bush administration to the threat from Al Qa'ida during its first nine months in office * An examination of the financial ties that link key figures in the Bush administration with the Saudi sponsors of Osama bin Ladin, Central Asia's energy bonanza, the cover-up of the BCCI bankruptcy case during the George Bush Senior administration and the bank's role in fostering Islamist extremism and funding the anti-Soviet jihad

* Detailed analysis of the US war in Afghanistan, with critical examinations of the battles of Kunduz, Tora Bora and Shah-I-Kot; the Pentagon's use of vicious warlords to shield American troops; and evidence of Washington's dubious commitment to the region's other recent model of regime-change and reconstruction

* Profiles of all the chief players in the Afghanistan saga, from Mullah Mohammed Omar and Osama bin Laden to the assassinated resistance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud and the new head of state, Hamid Karzai

Griffin dissects the tangle of policies, ideologies, events and personalities that led to the destruction of the World Trade Center and the new panorama of the 'war on terrorism'. Written with energy and authority, "Reaping the Whirlwind" provides a meticulous narrative of indelible events that historians, students, journalists and commentators will find an essential work of reference for years to come.