Zarqawi

This hastily penned biography of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, known to Americans principally for his beheading of Nicholas Berg, is notable chiefly for its innocent failure to answer a fundamental question about terrorism: Why? Zarqawi's past is carefully described here, yet his background offers few clues. An undistinguished young daydreamer and petty criminal, Jordanian Zarqawi appears to have found his calling at a local mosque, where he became a practicing Muslim eager to participate in jihad against the Soviet Union. Zarqawi arrived in Khost too late for battle, but in time to befriend several radical Islamic theoreticians. Such connections eventually lead him to Al-Qaeda, but it wasn't until his cell's successful assassination of U.S. diplomat Laurence Foley that he was admitted to its inner circle. Although Brisard presents the facts of his rise to prominence, the narrative provides little insight into the motivating force behind Zarqawi's actions, leaving the reader, largely, with a simple timeline of events. Individuals and organizations are described and named, but their complexity and unfamiliarity make navigating various Islamic groups and their relationships the equivalent of reading a Russian novel without the requisite family tree. The clumsy translation from Brisard's native French provides an awkward read that often leans on hyperbole. These faults aside, the book provides a depth and history lacking in conventional news accounts.