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Yaroslav Trofimov Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Yaroslav Trofimov
Photo © Courtesy of Author

Yaroslav Trofimov

How to pronounce Yaroslav Trofimov: jaro-slav trophy-mov

Yaroslav Trofimov Biography

Yaroslav Trofimov is the chief foreign-affairs correspondent of The Wall Street Journal and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting for two consecutive years, in 2022 and 2023. Before covering the Russian war on Ukraine, he reported on most major conflicts of the past two decades, serving as the Journal's bureau chief in Afghanistan and Pakistan and as a correspondent in Iraq. He holds an MA from New York University and is the author of two critically acclaimed books, Faith at War and The Siege of Mecca.

Yaroslav Trofimov's website

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Interview

Yaroslav Trofimov describes his extensive research for The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of al-Qaeda, and describes his efforts to pierce the veil of secrecy which continues to cover the events that unfolded in Mecca during 1979.

The idea behind the book was simple: many people with interest in the Middle East know that something important happened in Mecca back in 1979, but virtually nobody knows precisely what. The more passing references to the Mecca uprising I heard while traveling in the region, the more I was intrigued.

In late 2005, I started to delve into the scarce material that’s in the public domain. It hit me: the events of these two turbulent weeks in late 1979 were a true turning point in modern history. The story of the siege of Mecca really is a prequel to everything we know about Al Qaeda, a prequel that allows us to understand today’s events in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond.

My reporting started with tracking down Paul Barril, the head of the French commando mission that participated in the siege. I found him in the Dubai Intercontinental, and spent many hours with him, hearing his first-hand account. Through leads supplied by him, I located and interviewed the other French participants in the Mecca affair. At the same time, in early 2006, I also trekked to the British Library – the only place in Europe that keeps Saudi newspapers from 1979 – and met with several London-based Saudi ...

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Books by this Author

Books by Yaroslav Trofimov at BookBrowse
Our Enemies Will Vanish jacket The Siege of Mecca jacket Faith at War jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Yaroslav Trofimov but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Carmen Bin Ladin

    Carmen Bin Ladin

    Carmen Bin Ladin/ Carmen Dufour was born in 1954 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Her father was Swiss, hence the name Dufour, and her mother was Persian. She was raised in Lausanne by her mother along with three other sisters.

    From... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Siege of Mecca

    Try:
    Inside The Kingdom
    by Carmen Bin Ladin

  • Mark Bowden

    Mark Bowden

    Mark Bowden is the author of several books, including Killing Pablo, Black Hawk Down, Bringing the Heat, Doctor Dealer, Finders Keepers, and Guests of the Ayatollah. He reported at The Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Siege of Mecca

    Try:
    Guests of the Ayatollah
    by Mark Bowden

We recommend 8 similar authors

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