ISIS: A History

Fawaz A. Gerges

Published by Princeton University Press 2021

ISIS

A History

Fawaz A. Gerges

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691211923

Overview
Contents

About this book

An authoritative introduction to ISIS—now expanded and revised to bring events up to the present

The Islamic State stunned the world with its savagery, destructiveness, and military and recruiting successes. However, its most striking and distinctive characteristic was its capacity to build governing institutions and a theologically grounded national identity. What explains the rise of ISIS and the caliphate, and what does it portend for the future of the Middle East? In this book, one of the world’s leading authorities on political Islam and jihadism sheds new light on these questions. Moving beyond journalistic accounts, Fawaz Gerges provides a clear and compelling explanation of the deeper conditions that fuel ISIS. This new edition brings the story of ISIS to the present, covering key events—from the military defeat of its territorial state to the death of its leader al-Baghdadi—and analyzing how the ongoing Syrian, Iraqi, and Saudi-Iranian conflict could lead to ISIS’s revival.

Author / Editor information

Fawaz A. Gerges is chair of Contemporary Middle East Studies and professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is the author of many books and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and other publications. Twitter @FawazGerges

Reviews

“The definitive book.”—Fareed Zakaria, CNN

“This hugely important study is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the powerful political, sectarian and religious forces currently convulsing the Arab Middle East.”—P. D. Smith, The Guardian

“Well-researched and lucidly argued.”—Malise Ruthven, New York Review of Books

“[A] compelling, insightful book.”—Michael Burleigh, The Times

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface to the 2021 Edition Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Introduction: Down the Rabbit Hole and into the History of ISIS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1 The World According to ISIS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	27
2 Where ISIS Came From: Zarqawi to Baghdadi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
3 How Broken Iraqi Politics Fueled the Revival of ISIS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	102
4 Baghdadi’s Evolution: From Invisible to Infamous Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
5 Baathists and ISIS Jihadists: Who Converted Whom? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	148
6 How the Syrian War Empowered ISIS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	174
7 Misappropriating the Arab Spring Uprisings Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	206
8 The Islamic State versus Al Qaeda: Redefining Jihad and the Transition from the Global to the Local Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227
Conclusion: The Future of the Islamic State Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	272
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	307
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	371