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The Age of Jihad
Book

The Age of Jihad

Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East

Verso Books, 2016 更多详情


Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Eye Opening
  • Background

Recommendation

Irish journalist Patrick Cockburn reveals the intractability of the Middle East conflict, from Syria to Nigeria, from Tunisia to Afghanistan. He fills in his dispatches, written between 2001 and 2016, with anecdotes from eight Middle East wars. He explains how sectarianism weights any peace process and one country’s circumstances “cross-infect” neighboring countries. He asks if these conflicts could be stopped, if the lust for revenge could be staunched and if the wounds of history could be lanced. Most probably not, he concludes, because, “the demons in this age of chaos and war have become an unstoppable force.” While always politically neutral, getAbstract recommends this informed, sweeping overview.

Take-Aways

  • In the years following September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda and its Sunni affiliates expanded their presence, appearing from Pakistan to Nigeria.
  • The American decision to invade Iraq in 2003 was a foolish choice.
  • Saddam Hussein’s downfall undermined already tenuous alliances among Kurds, Sunnis and Shia, setting the stage for civil war.

About the Author

Patrick Cockburn is foreign correspondent for the British online newspaper The Independent and has written three books about Iraq.


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