ISIS: The State of Terror

(Paperback)

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The first major book on ISIS to be published since the group exploded on the international stage in summer 2014.
Drawing on their unusual access to intelligence sources and material, law enforcement, and groundbreaking research into open source intelligence, Stern and Berger outline the origins of ISIS as the formidable terrorist group it has quickly become.

State of Terror delves into the ghoulish pornography of pro-jihadi videos, the seductive appeal of jihadi chic and the startling effectiveness of the Islamic States use of social media as a means of luring and recruiting citizens from countries such as the United States, Great Britain, and Franceusing recent examples such as Douglas McCain, the American citizen from Minnesota who joined ISIS and died in combat fighting on the side of the Islamic State.

Although the picture Stern and Berger paint is bleak, 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 react to the rapidly changing jihadi landscape, both online and off, as quickly as the terrorists do. State of Terror: Jihad in the 21st Century is not only a compelling account of the evolution of a terrorist organization, but also 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.

Reviews

A valuable, rigorous and perceptive guide Stern and Berger draw on internet-based sources, big-brained research on political violence and some of the most acute thinking about the insurgency that is around today Literary Review

One of this years most useful books on the phenomenon, which showed how the terrorist movement emerged from the mind of a Jordanian criminal, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year

Clear and succinct The books achievement is to demonstrate how Isis fits within the spectrum of blood-soaked jihadists Daily Telegraph

By far the most important contribution yet to our understanding of an organization that remains cloaked in mystery and misunderstanding. Stern and Berger are two of the worlds leading experts on violent extremism and, in this book, they have combined their years of knowledge and expertise into a brisk, readable, and eye opening account of ISISs past, present, and future Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Zealot

One can only conclude, with the clarity of recent hindsight, that we should have seen it coming at least when seen through the lens of ISIS a timely and important history of a movement that now defines the 21st century Evening Standard

The first serious book to analyse the rise of ISIS, arguably one of history's most successful terrorist groups. Stern and Berger write clearly and persuasively and marshal impressive primary research from ISIS's prodigious propaganda to help explain how ISIS became the dominant jihadi group today. It's a terrific and important read Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt

From two of the worlds leading terrorism experts, this timely and urgent book is absolutely essential reading for analysts and policy makers alike. In what is already a cornerstone contribution, Stern and Berger offer the kind of cold-blooded analysis so desperately needed on the poorly understood phenomenon John Horgan, author of The Psychology of Terrorism

Author Bio

Jessica Stern, the foremost U.S. expert on terrorism, is a lecturer at Harvard University''s Kennedy School of Government and a faculty affiliate of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. From 1994 to 1995, she served as director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council; from 1998 to 1999, she was the Superterrorism Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and from 1995 to 1996, she was a National Fellow at Stanford University''s Hoover Institution. She lives in Cambridge, MA.