Synopses & Reviews
Drawing on their unprecedented access to intelligence sources and law enforcement, and on groundbreaking research, two of America's leading experts on violent extremism and terrorism explain the genesis, evolution, and implications of today's most barbaric jihadist army, Islamic State—and how we can fight it
In a world where terrorist groups have become a fixture of contemporary politics and warfare, the sheer brutality of the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or simply the Islamic State, has shocked even the most jaded observers. Its sadistic disregard for human life, sophisticated use of social media, acquisition of territory, and ability to attract foreign fighters—many from modern Western democracies—is unprecedented. ISIS: The State of Terror is an analysis of the methods ISIS uses to both frighten innocent citizens and lure new soldiers—including the "ghoulish pornography" of their propaganda videos, the seductive appeal of "jihadi chic," and their startlingly effective social media expertise.
While ISIS poses a significant threat, our response must be carefully calibrated, terrorism experts Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger warn; in many ways, ISIS has risen from the ashes of our attempts to combat terrorism so far. Although the picture Stern and Berger paint is bleak, ISIS: The State of Terror also offers well-informed thoughts on potential government responses to ISIS—most importantly, emphasizing that we must alter our present conceptions of terrorism and terrorists and react to the rapidly changing jihadi landscape, both online and off, as quickly as the terrorists do. ISIS: The State of Terror is not only a compelling account of the evolution of a terrorist organization, but a necessary book that attempts to answer the question of what our next move—as a country, as a government, as the world—should be.
Review
Praise for Jessica Sterns Terror in the Name of God:“No scholar has done more than Jessica Stern to make the phenomenon of terrorism comprehensible.” Michael Ignatieff, Carr Professor of Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
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“Sterns important book, devoid of sentimentality or sensationalism, brings the reader face-to-face with the realities of global terror and the danger it presents to our way of life. This is essential reading.” Philadelphia Inquirer
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“One of the most interesting books you?ll ever read on terrorism...an incredibly intriguing widow into the minds of those who use God to justify violence against others.” Boston Globe
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“Berger lifts the veil on the phenomenon of American jihadists in this timely and chilling examination. ... painstakingly lays out the scope and character of the American jihadist movement and points the way to a national debate on solutions.” Publishers Weekly
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“By far the most important contribution yet to our understanding of an organization that remains cloaked in mystery and misunderstanding . . . A brisk, readable, and eye-opening account of ISISs past, present, and future. This is a book every American should read.” Reza Aslan, author of No God but god and Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
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“A timely and urgent book that is essential reading for analysts and policy makers alike. In what is already a cornerstone contribution, Stern and Berger offer the kind of cold-blood analysis so desperately needed on the poorly understood phenomenon that is the so-called Islamic state.” John Horgan, author of The Psychology of Terrorism
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“The first serious book to analyze the rise of ISIS . . . Stern and Berger write clearly and persuasively and marshal impressive primary research from ISISs prodigious propaganda to help explain how ISIS became the dominant jihadi group today. Its a terrific and important read.” Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad
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“Stern and Berger pull back the curtain to expose facts and myths about the violent Salafi apocalyptic cult calling itself the Islamic State. A must-read.” Mike Walker, former undersecretary and acting secretary of the United States Army
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“ISIS emerged in territory occupied by American soldiers, governed by dictatorial regimes, and fought over by sectarian extremists. Stern and Berger provide context for understanding ISISs past and considering how its media model may affect future extremist movements.” Kecia Ali, associate professor religion, Boston University
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“A penetrating analysis . . . The book provides important context for an evolving organization and proto-state that is attempting to rewrite the jihadi playbook.” Aaron Zelin, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
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“ISIS: The State of Terror is a timely and important history of a movement that now defines the 21st century.” Sam Kiley, Evening Standard (London)
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“Jessica Stern and J.M. Bergers new book, “ISIS,” should be required reading for every politician and policymaker…Their smart, granular analysis is a bracing antidote to both facile dismissals and wild exaggerations….Stern and Berger offer a nuanced and readable account of the ideological and organizational origins of the group.” Washington Post
Synopsis
Drawing on their unusual access to intelligence sources, law enforcement, and groundbreaking research, two of Americas leading experts on violent extremism and terrorism explain the genesis, evolution, and implications of todays most barbaric jihadist army, Islamic State—and how we can fight it.
Though terrorist groups are a fixture of contemporary politics and warfare, the world has never witnessed the degree of sheer brutality demonstrated by the group know as ISIS—the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Its sadistic disregard for human life, sophisticated use of social media, acquisition of territory, and ability to attract foreign fighters—many from modern Western democracies—is unprecedented.
Jessica Stern and J. M. Berger analyze the tools ISIS uses both to frighten innocent citizens and lure new soldiers—including the “ghoulish pornography” of their pro-jihadi videos, the seductive appeal of “jihadic chic,” and its startling effective social media expertise. While this jihadi army poses a significant threat, our response must be carefully calibrated the authors warn; sending troops onto the battlefield could become the ideal recruiting tool, increasing ISISs ranks.
ISIS: The State of Terror offers practical ideas on potential government responses—most importantly, emphasizing that we must alter our present conceptions of terrorism and terrorists and react to the rapidly changing jihadi landscape, both online and off, as quickly as the terrorists do. As it lays out what our next move—as a country, as a government, as the world—should be, it offers a vital assessment of the future of counterterrorism and countering violent extremism.
Synopsis
The Islamic State, known as ISIS, exploded into the public eye in 2014 with startling speed and shocking brutality. It has captured the imagination of the global jihadist movement, attracting recruits in unprecedented numbers and wreaking bloody destruction with a sadistic glee that has alienated even the hardcore terrorists of its parent organization, al Qaeda.
Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger, two of Americas leading experts on terrorism, dissect the new model for violent extremism that ISIS has leveraged into an empire of death in Iraq and Syria, and an international network that is rapidly expanding in the Middle East, North Africa and around the world.
ISIS: The State of Terror traces the ideological innovations that the group deploys to recruit unprecedented numbers of Westerners, the composition of its infamous snuff videos, and the technological tools it exploits on social media to broadcast its atrocities, and its recruiting pitch to the world, including its success at attracting thousands of Western adherents. The authors examine ISISs predatory abuse of women and children and its use of horror to manipulate world leaders and its own adherents as it builds its twisted society. The authors offer a much-needed perspective on how world leaders should prioritize and respond to ISISs deliberate and insidious provocations.
About the Author
Jessica Stern is a lecturer on terrorism at Harvard University and a fellow at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard's School of Public Health. She is a member of the Hoover Institution Task Force on National Security and Law, and served on the Clinton administration's National Security Council staff. She is the author of
Denial: A Memoir of Terror;
Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill (a
New York Times Notable Book of the Year); and
The Ultimate Terrorists.
J.M. Berger is a nonresident fellow with the Brookings Institution and the author of Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam, a critically acclaimed history of the American jihadist movement. He is a regular contributor to Foreign Policy magazine, and his website, Intelwire.com, has published thousands of declassified documents on the September 11 attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing.