Synopses & Reviews
"This thoughtful and incisive inquiry yields much insight into some of the most important issues of today, and tomorrow." -- Noam Chomsky"The embarrassing truth is that most books on terrorism have been written by people who have never spoken to a terrorist. The author of this volume has. ... This book breaks new ground, offering fresh insights into some of the financial underpinnings of contemporary terrorism." -- Alex P. Schmid, Officer-in-Charge, Terrorism Prevention Branch, United Nations."This book opens a vista onto the complex financial background of global terrorism that both nurtures and feeds off it and, in the process, onto some of the under-publicised characteristics of the new (post Cold War) economy." -- George Magnus, Chief Economist, UBS Warburg "A tour de force of detective work in economics and theory building in politics that sheds new light on the most worrying phenomenon of the new millenium." -- Professor Paul Gilbert, Head of Philosophy, Theology and Literature, University of Hull, and author of "New Terror, New War.""Modern Jihad: The New Economy of Terror" propels the reader into the netherworld of illegal organizations. From the Contras to Al Qaeda, Loretta Napoleoni maps out the arteries of an international economic system that feeds armed groups the world over with an endless supply of cash. Chasing terror money, she takes the reader from CIA headquarters to the smuggling routes of the Far East, from the back rooms of Wall Street to Hawala exchanges in the Middle East.The "economy of terror" that Napoleoni identifies is a 1.5 trillion-dollar fast-growing economic system. It is made up of illegal businesses such as arms and narcotics trading, oil and diamondssmuggling, as well as charitable donations, profits from legal businesses and an intricate system of finance. Most importantly, Napoleoni reveals the interdependency between economies run by armed groups and western economies. This ranges from the consumption of narcotics to the production of arms, and from the recycling of illegal money to speculation on the stock markets, as occurred prior to 9/11.Loretta Napoleoni is the first author to tackle the issues raised by September 11th 2001 from a specifically economic perspective. Presenting an astonishing array of evidence, taken from extensive research and interviews, the book is a fascinating account of controversial issues that lie at the heart of many of today's international problems. Revealing how the 'new economy of terror' has evolved by proxy through various wars -- from the Cold War to Al Qaeda -- Napoleoni argues that today's Islamic terror groups are driven by real economic forces in the Muslim world. They are the same forces that have been hindered in the last century by the economic interests of both the West and its allies, the oligarchic powers of the Middle East.Shifting the focus away from religious and cultural differences, Napoleoni assesses the full extent of the role of the West in developing the economies of armed organisations and provides a valuable insight into real factors dividing "East" and "West."-- Publicity campaign with radio appearances -- Marketing campaign including advertising in major media outlets including The Nation, The New York Review of Books, Mother Jones, New Republic-- U.S. author tour
Synopsis
"Modern Jihad: The New Economy of Terror" propels the reader into the netherworld of illegal organizations. From the Contras to Al Qaeda, Loretta Napoleoni maps out the arteries of an international economic system that feeds armed groups the world over with an endless supply of cash. Chasing terror money, she takes the reader from CIA headquarters to the smuggling routes of the Far East, from the back rooms of Wall Street to Hawala exchanges in the Middle East.The "economy of terror" that Napoleoni identifies is a 1.5 trillion-dollar fast-growing economic system. It is made up of illegal businesses such as arms and narcotics trading, oil and diamonds smuggling, as well as charitable donations, profits from legal businesses and an intricate system of finance. Most importantly, Napoleoni reveals the interdependency between economies run by armed groups and western economies. This ranges from the consumption of narcotics to the production of arms, and from the recycling of illegal money to speculation on the stock markets, as occurred prior to 9/11.Loretta Napoleoni is the first author to tackle the issues raised by September 11th 2001 from a specifically economic perspective. Presenting an astonishing array of evidence, taken from extensive research and interviews, the book is a fascinating account of controversial issues that lie at the heart of many of today's international problems. Revealing how the 'new economy of terror' has evolved by proxy through various wars -- from the Cold War to Al Qaeda -- Napoleoni argues that today's Islamic terror groups are driven by real economic forces in the Muslim world. They are the same forces that have been hindered in the last century by theeconomic interests of both the West and its allies, the oligarchic powers of the Middle East.Shifting the focus away from religious and cultural differences, Napoleoni assesses the full extent of the role of the West in developing the economies of armed organisations and provides a valuable insight into real factors dividing "East" and "West."
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 262-273) and index.
Table of Contents
Pt. 1. The cold war years : the economic dependency of terror -- The dilemma of terrorism : war or crime? -- The macroeconomics of terror -- The privatisation of terror -- Terror Reaganomics -- Pt. 2. The new economic disorder -- The birth of the terror state-shell -- Towards a new world disorder -- Islamist econimics -- Terror Jihad : the Islamist crusades -- Islamist financial colonisation -- The economic forces of Islamist colonisation -- The mosque network -- Pt. 3. The new economy of terror -- Weak states : breeding ground for terror -- From modern Jihad to the new economy of terror -- Terror's legitimate business -- Terror's balance of payments -- State-shell economics -- The globalisation of the new economy of terror.