In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and was eyeing the borderline oil wells of Saudi Arabia. Apparently, the petro-dollar kingdom was invincible. In the 80s, it had built a $50 billion air-defense system. It had also spent billions of dollars in purchasing the most sophisticated weapons from all the major defense markets of the world, enabling its various princes, in the process, to make millions in lucrative kickbacks. By the time of Kuwaiti invasion, Saudi Arabia had all the weapons but, alas, it forgot to build an army that could operate these tanks and planes. Worse, Saddam knew it.
The White House, which was anxious about the petrol supply and nervous about the implications of Iraqi regime capturing Saudi Arabia, swiftly sent Dick Cheney, the then US Secretary of Defense, to Jeddah to persuade the king to accept American troops for the kingdom's defense assuring him that they would leave as soon as the threat was over.
But bin Laden was busy making his own presentations of imploring the royals not to accede to the Americans. He sounded out his own plans of 'preparing one hundred thousand Muslim fighters with good combat capability within three months'. He pleaded not to let non-Muslims into the country. The king, sensibly, opted for the Americans.
And so Osama's crusade got its launching base even as American bases are still stationed in Islam's holiest land. It was the most important timeline in the making of Osama Bin Laden.
Since 9/11 there have been many good books on Al Qaeda's No. 1. The beginning of 2006 saw the publication of Peter Bergen's excellent The Osama Bin Laden I Know, but it is The Looming Towers which is the most satisfying. The saga of Osama — from his early days of fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan where he puzzlingly fell ill every time there was an attack, to his breakdown of relations with the Saudi royalty, to his exile in Sudan where he spent some of the most satisfying and sedentary years of his life, to his re-exile to Taliban Afghanistan where he plotted the fall of the looming towers, to his escape from Tora Bora — was never written more eloquently.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - ray from san francisco
osama bin laden? personally, i like the guy...i sympathize with his criticisms of America's consumption obsession, and respect his planning and diligence that produced 9/11..he's really a determined fella
sure, i'll read the book
3 - Chris mankey
"osama bin laden? personally, i like the guy...i sympathize with his criticisms of America's consumption obsession, and respect his planning and diligence that produced 9/11..he's really a determined fella"
Do you? Then you're an ASSHOLE! You respect the planning and diligence that went in to 9/11. Was the killing all right of you as well? What a jerk
4 - pm
do you know how many children--just children--died because of UN sanctions on iraq in the 90s? 1 million. so how can you not expect something like 9/11 to have happened?
5 - This Guy
^That right there^ fact dropping.
that simply makes you look like a douche, my friend.