Drawing on decades of research focused on Islamic movements and Islamic-sponsored terror activities, counter-terrorism expert Paz addresses the consolidation of global Islamist networks as one of the most important developments in Islamic political violence to emerge. Offering insight into the political and religious culture that formed the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the author aims to provide a structural examination of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda and other regional Islamist groups, as well as a survey of important developments and ideological trends among Islamic communities in the West. The book also investigates the role of Palastinian Islamists in the global networking phenomenon, and includes major development in the areas of terrorism and counter-terrorism both pre- and post-September 11.