home > by publication type > articles > The Far Enemy: Why JIHAD Went Global
Email
| Author: | Marcia L. Sprules, Deputy Director |
|---|
November 1, 2005
Library Journal Reviews
"Gerges, Fawaz A. The Far Enemy: Why JIHAD Went Global. Cambridge Univ. 2005. c.256p. ISBN 0-521-79140-5.
Gerges (Middle Eastern studies, Sarah Lawrence Coll.; America and Political Islam ) is well known for his expert media commentary on the Middle East. This book differs from many others on the topics of Islam and jihad in its assertion that only a small percentage of jihadists are concerned with international issues. Most are religious nationalists concerned with ending secularization in their own country and, possibly, replacing corrupt leaders. In the mid-1990s a few jihadists, flush with success after ousting the Soviet Union from Afghanistan and irate at the presence of U.S. troops on holy ground in Saudi Arabia, changed their emphasis and began to confront other enemies outside their own country. The most visible action of these few, on September 11, 2001, is not supported by most other jihadist groups. The author bases his conclusions on extensive interviews with many individuals in the region and on documents he refers to that were issued by jihad leaders. These documents in their entirety, however, will be familiar only to other specialists; many are not translated into English. These limitations make it difficult to validate a thesis that is opposite to the usual commentary. The treatment of the topic makes this work most suitable for academic collections."
To order Task Force reports, Council Special Reports, and Critical Policy Choices, please call, fax, or order online from our distributor, the Brookings Institution Press: phone +1.800.537.5487, fax +1.410.516.6998.
For information on other reports that are not for sale, or for general publications information, please call +1.212.434.9516 or email publications@cfr.org.
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.