Isis: Inside The Army Of Terror: Updated Edition - Softcover

Weiss, Michael; Hassan, Hassan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1682450295 ISBN 13: 9781682450291

Publisher: Regan Arts, 2016

Synopsis

A newly updated and revised edition of the New York Times best-selling and highly-praised book on ISIS - with fresh revelations on Russia's campaign, how ISIS has evolved and the failure of America's policy. Updated through the end of 2015.

Initially dismissed by US President Barack Obama, along with other fledgling terrorist groups, as a "jayvee squad" compared to al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has shocked the world by conquering massive territories in both countries and promising to create a vast new Muslim caliphate that observes the strict dictates of Sharia law.

In ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, American journalist Michael Weiss and Syrian analyst Hassan Hassan explain how these violent extremists evolved from a nearly defeated Iraqi insurgent group into a jihadi army of international volunteers who behead Western hostages in slickly produced videos and have conquered territory equal to the size of Great Britain. Beginning with the early days of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of ISIS's first incarnation as "al-Qaeda in Iraq," Weiss and Hassan explain who the key players are - from their elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to the former Saddam Baathists in their ranks - where they come from, how the movement has attracted both local and global support, and where their financing comes from.

Political and military manoeuvring by the United States, Iraq, Iran, and Syria have all fuelled ISIS's astonishing and explosive expansion. Drawing on original interviews with former US military officials and current ISIS fighters, the authors also reveal the internecine struggles within the movement itself, as well as ISIS's bloody hatred of Shiite Muslims, which is generating another sectarian war in the region. Just like the one the US thought it had stopped in 2011 in Iraq. Past is prologue and America's legacy in the Middle East is sowing a new generation of terror.

About this title

Review

"Weiss and Hassan have produced a detailed and readable book... The authors provide useful insights into Isis governance a combination of divide-and-rule, indoctrination and fear and are well placed for the task." --The Guardian

"If you want to understand how this calamity has come about, this concise and informative book provides an essential grounding." --The Telegraph

"Weiss and Hassan have written the most serious book-length study of the Islamic State so far." --New York Times Editor's Choice

"[A] superb piece of journalism, unsparing in its analysis of the folly of the Obama administration." -- The Spectator

"Concise, valuable, and a compelling read for anyone - general reader or specialist - interested in ISIS." --Syria Comment

"Incredibly rich and valuable for the specialist and non-specialist alike... it is a rich and nuanced piece touching on all the points that the arrival of ISIS has raised in Syria and Iraq." -- The Huffington Post

"Weiss and Hassan's book is suited to those interested in the backstory of IS; how it deftly manoeuvred through Iraq's tribal and sectarian geography, and the role of the US, Iran and Syria." --Prospect Magazine

"Weiss and Hassan offer the fuller and more convincing account. They trace the life of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian petty criminal who missed the jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, but went on to start his own much bloodier one against America in Iraq." --The Economist

About the Author

Michael Weiss is a senior editor at The Daily Beast, a CNN contributor, and the editor-in-chief of The Interpreter, an online Russian translation and news journal presented by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. He has written for Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Foreign Affairs, Politico and a host of other publications.

Hassan Hassan is an Associate Fellow at Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme, a fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, and a columnist for The National newspaper. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and the New York Times.

About this edition

• Publisher: Regan Arts
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1682450295
• ISBN 13: 9781682450291
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 412