The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement

Description

In the wake of its "Caliphate" declaration in 2014, the self-described Islamic State has been the focus of countless academic papers, government studies, media commentaries and documentaries. Despite all this attention, persistent myths continue to shape--and misdirect--public understanding and strategic policy decisions. A significant factor in this trend has been a strong disinclination to engage critically with Islamic State's speeches and writings--as if doing so reflects empathy with the movement's goals or, even more absurdly, may itself lead to radicalisation. Going beyond the descriptive and the sensationalist, this volume presents and analyses a series of milestone Islamic State primary source materials. Scholar-practitioners with field experience in confronting the movement explore and contextualise its approach to warfare, propaganda and governance, examining the factors behind its dramatic evolution from failed proto-state in 2010 to standard-bearer of global jihadism in 2014, to besieged insurgency in 2018. The ISIS Reader will help anyone--students and journalists, military personnel, civil servants and inquisitive observers--to better understand not only the evolution of Islamic State and the dynamics of asymmetric warfare, but the importance of primary sources in doing so. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: Join the Caravan 1. The First Speeches (1994 & 2004) 2. Zarqawi’s Strategy (2004) Part II: Baqiya! 3. The First Year of the Islamic State (2006 & 2007) 4. Advice to the Leaders of the Islamic State (2007) 5. The Fallujah Memorandum (2009) Part III: The Caliphate 6. The Declaration of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (2013) 7. The Caliphate Rises (2014) 8. Global War (2014) 9. Women in the Islamic State (2015) 10. Media Jihad (2016) Part IV: Purification 11. The Structure of the Caliphate (2016) 12. Defining Success and Failure (2016) 13. Patience (2018) 14. A Global Insurgency (2019) 15. The Guerrilla Caliph (2019) Conclusion Glossary Index