
The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda
Fawaz A. Gerges(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 22. September 2011
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-19-979065-4 (ISBN)
Description
In this concise and fascinating book, Fawaz A. Gerges argues that Al-Qaeda has degenerated into a fractured, marginal body kept alive largely by the self-serving anti-terrorist bureaucracy it helped to spawn.
In The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda, Gerges, a leading authority on Islamic extremism, argues that the West has become mired in a "terrorism narrative," stemming from the mistaken belief that it is in danger of a devastating attack by a crippled Al-Qaeda. To explain why Al-Qaeda is no longer a threat, he provides a briskly written history of the organization, showing its emergence from the disintegrating local jihadist movements of the mid-1990s-not the Afghan resistance of the 1980s, as
many believe-in "a desperate effort to rescue a sinking ship by altering its course". During this period, Gerges interviewed many jihadis, gaining a first-hand view of the movement that Bin Laden tried to reshape by internationalizing it. He reveals that global jihad has attracted but a small minority
within the Arab world and possesses no viable social and popular base. Furthermore, he shows that the attacks of September 11, 2001, were a major miscalculation-no "river" of fighters flooded from Arab countries to defend Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, as Bin Laden expected. Gerges concludes that the movement has splintered into feuding factions, neutralizing itself more effectively than a Predator drone.
Forceful, incisive, and written with extensive inside knowledge, this book will alter the debate on global terrorism.
In The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda, Gerges, a leading authority on Islamic extremism, argues that the West has become mired in a "terrorism narrative," stemming from the mistaken belief that it is in danger of a devastating attack by a crippled Al-Qaeda. To explain why Al-Qaeda is no longer a threat, he provides a briskly written history of the organization, showing its emergence from the disintegrating local jihadist movements of the mid-1990s-not the Afghan resistance of the 1980s, as
many believe-in "a desperate effort to rescue a sinking ship by altering its course". During this period, Gerges interviewed many jihadis, gaining a first-hand view of the movement that Bin Laden tried to reshape by internationalizing it. He reveals that global jihad has attracted but a small minority
within the Arab world and possesses no viable social and popular base. Furthermore, he shows that the attacks of September 11, 2001, were a major miscalculation-no "river" of fighters flooded from Arab countries to defend Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, as Bin Laden expected. Gerges concludes that the movement has splintered into feuding factions, neutralizing itself more effectively than a Predator drone.
Forceful, incisive, and written with extensive inside knowledge, this book will alter the debate on global terrorism.
Reviews / Votes
... a masterly and trenchant account of the origins of al Qaeda and its decline after 9/11. * Foreign Affairs * Worth reading * The Economist *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 211 mm
Width: 146 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
390 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-979065-4 (9780199790654)
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Schweitzer Classification
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Fawaz A. Gerges
The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda
Book
03/2014
Oxford University Press Inc
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Fawaz A. Gerges
The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda
E-Book
09/2011
1st Edition
OUP eBook
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Fawaz A. Gerges
The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda
E-Book
05/2011
1st Edition
OUP USA
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Person
Fawaz A. Gerges is Professor of Middle Eastern Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics. His books include Journey of the Jihadist and The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global.
Author
Professor of Middle Eastern Politics and International RelationsProfessor of Middle Eastern Politics and International Relations, London School of Economics
Content
Prologue The Politics of Terrorism ; Chapter 1: The Rise of al-Qa'ida ; Chapter 2: The Growing Rift: Near versus Far Enemy ; Chapter 3: A Great Success and a Monstrous Miscalculation (September 11) ; Chapter 4: Decline and Fall ; Chapter 5: Shadows and Legacies