By focusing on the bin Laden family story, Coll attempted to create a different lens from which to view Osama, since many tend to examine him in the light of the war in Afghanistan and international Islamist movements.
Coll, author of “The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century,” noted that Osama’s father, Muhammed Awad bin Laden, founded the company that would become the sole contractor of the Saudi Arabian royal family.
Muhammed passed his “charismatic genius” to his sons, Coll said. He noted that the path of Salem bin Laden, Muhammed’s oldest son, contrasted greatly with that of Osama.
Osama’s half-brother Salem, who died in an airplane crash in 1988, “lived very large,” Coll said.
Salem wore “blue jeans, smoking his pipe,” Coll added. He was a “very spirited, playful character, a very American character from my own perspective, [who] lived very freely.”
Osama, however, did not grow up in Muhammed’s household, since Muhammed divorced Osama’s mother soon after his birth. Osama was raised by his mother and her second husband, but as Muhammed’s legitimate son, he was given an ownership stake in his father’s contracting firm, Coll said, noting that this wealth made Osama a “golden child.”
Osama did not distinguish himself as a radical during his adolescence, Coll said.
He was “quiet and censorious, and very righteous — you could imagine a teenage zealot, impressing on his family members his piety,” Coll said. “But no one remarked on his unorthodoxy — he was literally a model citizen.”
Coll noted that the bin Laden family as a whole is known for its comfort with ethnic, linguistic and racial diversity — something not typical of Islamist radicals. The family is also known for its entrepreneurship, Coll said, explaining that other family members have shown confidence in the technology of globalization and a special penchant for brand-building.
He cited Osama’s oldest son, Saad, as an example, explaining that he runs a firm that focuses on “big-bang marketing.”
Coll’s last book was “Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001.” He explained that after its publication, he felt that the representation of Osama in the international arena was still incomplete.
“When I finished ‘Ghost Wars,’ I felt that I had left something out that I wanted to go back to,” he said. He said he wanted “to think about Osama in a different context.”
Coll said he modeled his work on other books profiling prominent families, citing the Kennedys and Rockefellers as examples. He added that similarly to these notable families’ stories, the story of the multigenerational bin Laden family provides insight into the political economy of Saudi Arabia.
A brief question-and-answer session followed the lecture, which was sponsored by the Wilson School.
Read More
‘A willingness to forge new ground’: Nobel laureate and her Ph.D. advisor discuss time at Princeton
Andrew BosworthMary Brunkow GS ’91 received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine on Monday. In interviews, Brunkow and her Ph.D. advisor at Princeton, former University President Shirley Tilghman, discussed her path through Princeton and her career.
Mary Brunkow GS ’91 received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine on Monday. In interviews, Brunkow and her Ph.D. advisor at Princeton, former University President Shirley Tilghman, discussed her path through Princeton and her career.
New Princeton bus route proposed at town council meeting
Luke Grippo and Christine WoodsThe Princeton Town Council meeting on Wednesday included proposals for new buses and a new bus route.
The Princeton Town Council meeting on Wednesday included proposals for new buses and a new bus route.
Nine people, some with alleged criminal records, detained by ICE in Princeton, Jersey City
Sena Chang and Luke GrippoNine Chilean nationals with alleged connections to transnational crime organizations were arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Newark in Princeton and Jersey City on Sept. 19, according to a Sept. 29 press release.
Nine Chilean nationals with alleged connections to transnational crime organizations were arrested by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Newark in Princeton and Jersey City on Sept. 19, according to a Sept. 29 press release.