A revelatory look inside the world's most dangerous terrorist group.
With brutal attacks across the world—Paris, Beirut, Egypt, Turkey—the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has proved itself the greatest threat today. They have conquered massive territories in Syria and Iraq in a bid to create a new Muslim caliphate under 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, with slickly produced murder videos, are spreading violence and mayhem across the globe. Beginning with the early days of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of ISIS’s first incarnation, Weiss and Hassan explain who the key players are—from their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to the former Saddam Baathists in their ranks—where they come from, how they have attracted both local and global support, and how they operate—from their social media strategy to their illicit oil revenues.
Political and military maneuvering by the United States, Iraq, Iran, and Syria have fueled ISIS’s 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. A new generation of terror has dawned in the world and to understand how to stop it, we must understand who they are.
Industry Reviews
"[A] superb piece of journalism, unsparing in its analysis of the folly of the Obama administration."--Nick Cohen "The Spectator (UK) " "A . . . detailed and nuanced story."--James Traub "Wall Street Journal " "recounted in painstaking detail...the book presents a granular analysis of the IS's organization, ideology, funding and recruitment."--Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, author of The Road to Iraq: the Making of a Neoconservative War "In These Times " "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."--Tam Hussein "The Huffington Post " "Concise, valuable, and a compelling read for anyone- general reader or specialist- interested in ISIS."--Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi "Syria Comment " "Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan provide a comprehensive account of how the Islamic State came to be, who is to blame for its emergence, and why world leaders should be worried about its expansion."--Kevin Sullivan, editor of Real Clear World "Real Clear World " "The first book to fully explain what ISIS is seeking and why they are such a threat to the world. An absolute must-read for anyone who wants to understand the risk we all face from radical Islam."--Douglas E. Schoen, political analyst, author of "The Russia-China Axis: The New Cold War and America's Crisis of Leadership " "Weiss and Hassan give a concise yet detailed account of the rise of the terror movement, anybody who wants to work out where they stand on Iraq and Syria will find this book invaluable"--Daniel Finkelstein, The Times Best Books of 2015 "The authors have produced a readable and sound description of the group's rise and defining characteristics." --H.R. McAster, The International Institute for Strategic Studies "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror is brilliantly easy to read...concise yet thorough, it will surprise and shatter the beliefs of many."--Kyle Orton, Middle East analyst "Left Foot Forward " "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan, does a first-rate job of describing the Islamic State's layers... in Syria and in Iraq."--Paul Berman, author of A Tale of Two Utopias, Terror and Liberalism, Power and the Idealists, and the Flight of the Intellectuals "Tablet " Wall Street Journal Top 10 Books on Terrorism Times of London Best Books of 2015
