LOOMING TOWERS AND CRUSHING CELLS

Over the past decade much ink has been spilt over Osama bin Laden—his rise, his strength, his cunning and now his fall. In the glut of books that have considered the man's significance and his influence on American policy, a few have risen to the top. The following is a list of some of the finest books on the subject, reviewed in The Economist. For more insight, our sister-blog Clausewitz considers the evolution of al-Qaeda, and Democracy in America wonders what impact his assassination will have on the 2012 election. See also our survey on al-Qaeda, written by Anton La Guardia and published in July 2008. In the comments section, please recommend books or articles you feel we've missed.

The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

The findings of the official inquiry into how the September 2001 massacres could have been avoided. For sheer readability, the report is something to be emulated by all future government commissions.

The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and al-Qaeda
By Peter Bergen

To read this book is to be amazed afresh at how badly America has handled the so-called "war on terror". Largely ignorant of al-Qaeda, Islam and weak states, the Bush administration’s response to September 11th was, Mr Bergen argues, conditioned more by its existing prejudices and strategic impulses than by any proper assessment of the terrorist threat. The invasion of Iraq, based on false intelligence and mendacious claims of a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, was the most obvious example of this.

Securing the city: inside America's best counterterror force: the NYPD
By Christopher Dickey

In a vivid and thought-provoking book about the years since the twin towers collapsed, Christopher Dickey analyses how the New York Police Department counter-terrorism division has made itself one of the best in the business.