Book Cover

All totalitarians thrive on myths that transcend or erase national boundaries, even ones that begin as expressions of nationalism and then have to retroactively justify their inevitable anschluss of foreign land.

# Review

This book explores the Islamic State, particularly its origins and its history up to when the book was written (mid-2010s). The book focuses on the key characters involved in the creation of the Islamic State, such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the jihadist leader who stirred up conflict in Iraq, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who split Al-Qaeda in Iraq from its parent organization to form the Islamic State. The book also examines the roles of external forces in the creation of ISIS, particularly that of nations like the US and Iran, as well as of individuals like Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Iraq’s Nouri al-Maliki.

Despite the slightly sensationalist title of the book, it’s a serious work of journalism with a plethora of primary and secondary sources. I particularly found the analysis on the cultural context, particularly that of tribalism and the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, helpful in understanding the goals and actions of various parties and how the shortcomings helped AQI (and later ISIS) rise into power. The authors dive into the history of the conflict, such as Saddam Hussein’s convergence of Salafism and Baathism, and the failure of the Sahwa movement due to lack of solidarity between tribal factions.

The failures of the Americans in understanding and cooperating earlier with the Iraqi tribesmen (an effective strategy against AQI) and al-Maliki’s dismantlement of the Sons of Iraq, a moderate Iraqi security force, all contributed to AQI’s survival and later rise in power, as Sunnis have no political outlet other than ISIS. Of course, there are also more Machiavellian actors, such as Iran’s role in actively destabilizing Iraq and Syria’s complacency (and sometimes even support) of the terrorist elements to bolster international support. There are also many incompetent mistakes such as the Iraqi government releasing everyone from prison, which at the time were basically terrorist camps.

The book also dives into what life is like under the ISIS regime, such as how ISIS gained support of the locals by having harsh laws but fairly applying said laws, even against its own soldiers and commanders. Some facts surprised me, such as ISIS’ strict gun control in areas it controls, detering rebellions and maintaining a monopoly on violence (much like our own governments). One thing I would’ve liked to learn more about is ISIS’s economy, which was quickly glanced over in 2-3 pages in the book.

# Conclusion

A deep dive into the history of ISIS but not many details about the current ISIS government.

# Overall rating: 7.4

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