To be honest, I picked this up because I thought it was a different book, but it wasn't bad. In fact, it was probably better than the book I thought it was would have been - I was only looking for the other out of curiosity. This book arose in the wake of 9/11, the cottage industry that began cranking out books on the sociopolitical aspects, the conspiracies, the heroes, and the villains. It attempts a measured analysis of the role of intelligence agencies in giving rise to the Taliban and al Qaida. It's worth a look, though one should exercise all their critical thinking skills. ( )