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Title: Blood From Stones : The Secret Financial Network of Terror by DOUGLAS FARAH ISBN: 0-7679-1562-3 Publisher: Broadway Pub. Date: 04 May, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.25 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Breakdown in Understanding Financing of Terrorists
Comment: Disturbing is an understatement when I try to come to grips with the American intelligence community's failure to understand the complex financial workings of al Qaeda pre and post 9/11.
Award-wining investigative reporter for the Washington Post as well as other publications, David Farah delivers an outstanding exposé in his book Blood From Stones of just how extensive this financial network spreads itself throughout the world, something akin to an octopus with its multitude tentacles.
In 2000' Farah was named as the Post's West African chief. It is little wonder that he had to flee for his life from the Ivory Coast, where he had been stationed, if the information he uncovered and revealed in Blood For Stones is any indication of his findings.
Prior to 9/11, tracking down the financial networks of terrorist groups was given very low priority within the western intelligence agencies. In fact, when it finally began to show up on their radar screens indicating how vital financing was to the lifeblood of these groups, many in the intelligence community were caught in a state of disarray.
It also depicted just how uncreative these intelligence agencies were when its members failed to understand the mentality and culture of these various groups.
Farah's findings divide itself into nine chapters, each of which deals with different aspects of the intricate architecture of the financing of terrorists organizations. Using historical narrative peppered with hard investigative facts, the author effectively succeeds in divulging just how far and deep the system has extended.
Beginning with the terrorists' forays into the diamond fields of Liberia and Sierra Leone, and how money is exchanged for diamonds in order to escape the conventional banking system, readers are subsequently apprised of other avenues of creative terrorist financing.
We learn how charitable organizations, individuals, and businesses funnel millions of dollars to the coffers of al Qaeda as well as other terrorist organizations as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood, who incidentally, contrary to some wide held belief, do in fact collaborate with one another.
How small-time scams and petty crimes committed by terrorist sympathizers in the United States help their cause. These crimes include skimming the profits from drug sales, stealing and reselling baby formula, illegally redeeming large quantities of grocery coupons, stealing credit card numbers, and many more.
Farah also explains to the reader that one of the vital ingredients of the system of financing of terrorists is the 'hawala." One built on trust, family relationships and regional affiliations - a concept foreign and little known to the intelligence community. According to the author, "hawala" means to change or transform, and also carries a connotation of trust. The money that flows through it often actually does not move at all.
The author's superb investigative skills do not shy away from the difficult realities exposing the incompetence of the American intelligence services, although he does attribute part of the blame for the extensive cutbacks that had occurred after the end of the cold war.
No doubt, had the intelligence services followed up on the many leads presented to it from various sources including the author, a different picture and understanding of al Qaeda and its collaborators would have emerged.
In part, it may be that pre 9/11's principal focus was on stamping out illegal drugs, rather than bothering about the smuggling activities in West African countries or the petty crimes in the USA.
There was also a general philosophy within the intelligence services that "thinking out of the box" or creativity on the part of their personnel was unacceptable. In fact, there was a kind of self-denial that such an intricate financial system would be possible.
Farah gets top marks for his crisp and intelligent writing avoiding quick generalizations, and many of his findings are corroborated with concrete evidence found in the "notes" section at the end of the book.
Definitely, this is a must read for anyone wishing to know more about the intricate workings of these terrorist groups.
Norm Goldman Editor of Bookpleasures.com
Rating: 3
Summary: the good, the bad and the slightly irrelevant
Comment: The intial parts of the book which focus on the diamond trade in collapsed west african states was fascinating and a breeze to read due to it's succinct writing style. However , I was disappointed that the end of the book seems to lose focus and clearly strays from the book's very title. The last few chapters regard not Al Qaida and diamond smuggling, but fund raising for militant Palestinian groups from within the US using various scams in Brooklyn and elsewhere.I feel that defining Hamas as threat to the United States is highly inaccurate and also unbalanced with out al least a mention of Jewish diamond merchants and their support of militant, armed settlers.
Overall, a good read but, disappointing in the end with references to people like Steven Emerson, which takes away a bit of the credibility of an otherwise interesting work.
Rating: 5
Summary: A true 5-star performance
Comment: This is an amazing piece of work from a man who has risked it all to get the facts that weave together this masterful story. It's style makes it an enjoyable and hard to put down, though its content is not that of the usual quick-and-easy read. It is the perfect book for those interested in the facts behind terrorism.
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Title: Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll ISBN: 1594200076 Publisher: The Penguin Press Pub. Date: 23 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: A Pretext for War : 9/11, IRAQ, AND THE ABUSE OF AMERICA'S INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES by JAMES BAMFORD ISBN: 0385506724 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 18 May, 2004 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Modern Jihad: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror Networks by Loretta Napoleoni ISBN: 0745321178 Publisher: Pluto Press (UK) Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by Jim Mann, James Mann ISBN: 0670032999 Publisher: Viking Books Pub. Date: 08 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir by Joseph Wilson ISBN: 078671378X Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers Pub. Date: 30 April, 2004 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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