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The caliphate at war : operational realities and innovations of the Islamic State

By: Hashim, Ahmed
Material type: BookPublisher: London : Hurts & Company, 2018.Description: 379 p. : map ; 24 cm.ISBN: 9780190668488; 9781849046435; 0190668482Subject(s): Terrorism -- Middle East | Terrorism -- Religious aspects -- Islam | POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Middle Eastern -- World | POLITICAL SCIENCE -- History & Theory | POLITICAL SCIENCE / Privacy & Surveillance (see also SOCIAL SCIENCE / Privacy & Surveillance) | Terrorism | Terrorism -- Religious aspects -- Islam | Ideologie | OrganisationDDC classification: 363.325 HA CA Online resources: Location Map
Summary:
Présentation de l'éditeur: "The military victories of ISIS have overturned the geopolitical map of the Middle East. Media attention has focused on ISIS' savage treatment of its enemies and its ability to attract foreign fighters. However, in order to explain its success, a dispassionate account of its innovations in insurgency, ideology, and governance is needed. The first effort to build an 'Islamic state' in Iraq was defeated by the US and Iraqi forces in 2011. That the second attempt, dating from 2014, has been more successful calls for explanation. Hashim argues that by focusing their ideology first and foremost on extreme anti-Shia sectarianism -- rather than on Western 'infidels' -- ISIS' founders were able to present themselves as the saviors of what they saw as the embattled Sunni 'nation' in Iraq. This enabled them to win the support of Sunni communities. Moreover, ISIS' stunning ability to take major cities is a result of its innovative tactics. It sows terror in advance of its attacks by using targeted assassinations to kill key city leaders, and its decentralized regional command structure facilitates an unusual degree of coordination between small assault units. Meanwhile, it is making a serious effort to engage in state-building and population control.
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Item type Home library Call number Status Notes Date due Barcode Item holds
REGULAR University of Wollongong in Dubai
Main Collection
363.325 HA CA (Browse shelf) Available July2019 T0062573
Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-364) and index.

Présentation de l'éditeur: "The military victories of ISIS have overturned the geopolitical map of the Middle East. Media attention has focused on ISIS' savage treatment of its enemies and its ability to attract foreign fighters. However, in order to explain its success, a dispassionate account of its innovations in insurgency, ideology, and governance is needed. The first effort to build an 'Islamic state' in Iraq was defeated by the US and Iraqi forces in 2011. That the second attempt, dating from 2014, has been more successful calls for explanation. Hashim argues that by focusing their ideology first and foremost on extreme anti-Shia sectarianism -- rather than on Western 'infidels' -- ISIS' founders were able to present themselves as the saviors of what they saw as the embattled Sunni 'nation' in Iraq. This enabled them to win the support of Sunni communities. Moreover, ISIS' stunning ability to take major cities is a result of its innovative tactics. It sows terror in advance of its attacks by using targeted assassinations to kill key city leaders, and its decentralized regional command structure facilitates an unusual degree of coordination between small assault units. Meanwhile, it is making a serious effort to engage in state-building and population control.

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