In the wake of the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States found itself searching for answers and revenge against those who provoked the atrocity. he attack that has been compared to that of Pearl Harbor moved the tracking and collection of terrorism from just a priority to the forefront of America's radar. I honestly believe that terrorism, as the No. 1 priority. , is destined to remain at the top for the foreseeable future The fundamental thoughts in almost every American mind after the attacks were who had the strength and capacity to carry out such an attack against a country with the most powerful military. of the world and what led them to focus on attacking the United States: in short, who attacked us, and why does it hate us The United States formed a bipartisan 9/11 commission to trace it? the roots of al-Qaeda, investigate the history of the 19 hijackers, examine law enforcement officials' missed opportunities to avert disaster, and make recommendations to clean up the flawed and inconsistent operation of collection of information. The 500-plus page 9/11 Commission Report contained thirteen chapters of historical narratives, analyzes and recommendations. All ten members of the bipartisan commission approved the report, which arguably became a national historic document. Just as the 9/11 Commission was created to find answers and recommend necessary actions to ensure that history does not repeat itself, Lawrence Wright sought answers to why 3,000 American lives were lost in the September 11 attacks. An experienced traveler to the region, Lawrence Wright endeavored to conduct his own investigative study into the history, ideology and circumstances behind this great...... middle of paper ...... J I misunderstood, or rather ignored, the Muslim Brotherhood as it materialized in Egypt and then took root and inspired others elsewhere. If Wright's analysis is correct, and I suspect it is in this extensively researched and well-written book, it was born out of opposition to colonialism and its nationalist/socialist/modernist/capitalist alternatives. It appeared that for Sayyid Qutb and other prominent figures in the Brotherhood, Islam was a global system intended to remake the postcolonial world. Qutb, who did spend time in the United States to study, returned in the late 1940s, outraged and radicalized. Qutb imbibed our alleged corruption and viewed the United States as supporting regimes that the majority in the Middle East did not like, as well as being a good friend of Israel and opposed to Islam, questions that are still a common complaint today..