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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 State's use of social media as a means of luring and
recruiting citizens from countries such as the United States, Great
Britain, and France-using 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.
Certain noises, many aspects of turbulence, and almost all aspects
of finance exhibit a level of temporal and spatial variability
whose "wildness" impressed itself vividly upon the author, Benoit
Mandelbrot, in the early 1960's. He soon realized that those
phenomena cannot be described by simply adapting the statistical
techniques of earlier physics, or even extending those techniques
slightly. It appeared that the study of finance and turbulence
could not move forward without the recognition that those phenomena
represented a new second stage of indeterminism. Altogether new
mathematical tools were needed. The papers in this Selecta volume
reflect that realization and the work that Dr. Mandelbrot did
toward the development of those new tools.
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Extremism (Paperback)
JM Berger
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What extremism is, how extremist ideologies are constructed, and
why extremism can escalate into violence. A rising tide of
extremist movements threaten to destabilize civil societies around
the globe. It has never been more important to understand
extremism, yet the dictionary definition-a logical starting point
in a search for understanding-tells us only that extremism is "the
quality or state of being extreme." In this volume in the MIT Press
Essential Knowledge series, J. M. Berger offers a nuanced
introduction to extremist movements, explaining what extremism is,
how extremist ideologies are constructed, and why extremism can
escalate into violence. Berger shows that although the ideological
content of extremist movements varies widely, there are common
structural elements. Berger, an expert on extremist movements and
terrorism, explains that extremism arises from a perception of "us
versus them," intensified by the conviction that the success of
"us" is inseparable from hostile acts against "them." Extremism
differs from ordinary unpleasantness-run-of-the-mill hatred and
racism-by its sweeping rationalization of an insistence on
violence. Berger illustrates his argument with case studies and
examples from around the world and throughout history, from the
destruction of Carthage by the Romans-often called "the first
genocide"-to the apocalyptic jihadism of Al Qaeda, America's new
"alt-right," and the anti-Semitic conspiracy tract The Protocols of
the Elders of Zion. He describes the evolution of identity
movements, individual and group radicalization, and more. If we
understand the causes of extremism, and the common elements of
extremist movements, Berger says, we will be more effective in
countering it.
They are Americans, and they are mujahideen. Hundreds of men from
every imaginable background have walked away from the traditional
American dream to volunteer for battle in the name of Islam. Some
have taken part in foreign wars that aligned with U.S. interests,
while others have carried out violence against Westerners abroad,
fought against the U.S. military, and even plotted terrorist
attacks on American soil. This story plays out over decades and
continents: from the Americans who took part in the siege of Mecca
in 1979 through conflicts in Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Bosnia, and
continuing today in Afghanistan and Somalia.Investigative
journalist J. M. Berger profiles numerous fighters, including some
who joined al Qaeda and others who chose a different path. In these
pages he portrays, among others, Abdullah Rashid, who fought the
Soviets in Afghanistan; Mohammed Loay Bayazid, who was present at
the founding of al Qaeda; Ismail Royer, who fought in Bosnia and
Kashmir, then returned to run training camps in the United States;
Adam Gadahn, a Jewish Californian who is now al Qaeda s chief
spokesman; and Anwar Awlaki, the Yemeni-American imam with links to
9/11 who is now considered one of the biggest threats to America s
security.
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