Empire of Fear: Inside the Islamic State

by Andrew Hosken

"A tremendously useful, insightful study of the frightening spread of a culture of death. Hosken does an excellent job of sorting out the American reaction, the failure of the Iraqi leadership in the form of Nouri al-Maliki and others, and how IS has becomes the richest terrorist group in the world."
—Kirkus Reviews, (Starred)

One of the 10 Best Books of September 2015
—The Christian Science Monitor

In June 2014 Islamic State launched an astonishing blitzkrieg which saw them seize control of an area in the Middle East the size of Britain. The news was soon filled with their relentless acts of savagery, yet nobody seemed to know who they were or where they’d come from.

Now BBC reporter Andrew Hosken delivers the inside story on Islamic State. Through extensive first-hand reporting, Hosken builds a comprehensive picture of IS, their brutal ideology and exterminationist methods. Equally compelling and horrifying, Empire of Fear reveals how Islamic State came to be, explores how they might be defeated and asks a frightening question — if they were brought down, could we stop another group emerging to replace them?

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, War, Middle East, Journalism, Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2015

Reviews

[Paul Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the hardest book I've ever read, nothing comes close and I spent a great amount of time with a look of sheer horror on my face. In fact my face was fixed in a wincing expression all through the last section of the book, the last couple of years in this telling of IS are absolutely harrowing.

The story of ISIS, Islamic State, is a story that has been a frequent runner in the news for many years and for good reason. It's a real life horror story of the worst kind, filled with death on the scale of genocide and it shows no signs of abating.

I wanted to understand why, what's the motives of these terrorists, what do they want, what's the end game and how close are we to it. Well Empire of Fear gives you all that, from the history of its first incarnation, from Al-Qaeda to the present day situation and a trail of murder on such a scale that it's impossible to digest. Something that's moving rapidly forward from country to country and getting ever closer to Europe.

And the worrying fact that amidst the masses of Syrians desperate to get asylum in Europe and there's a lot of them. Amongst the deaths of children and families seeking passage across the sea, there's people getting rich from providing transport fraught with danger. Countries are clamouring to assist, helping the refugees is now a necessity but how many terrorists are amongst the millions of refugees, how long before the war comes to our shores. This is my big worry with the immigration tsunami that is heading our way.

Now Islamic state has a plan, it's documented and well known, just search for the seven steps of Islamic State on the interweb.

The First Phase Known as "the awakening" -- this has already been carried out and was supposed to have lasted from 2000 to 2003, or more precisely from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York and Washington to the fall of Baghdad in 2003. The aim of the attacks of 9/11 was to provoke the US into declaring war on the Islamic world and thereby "awakening" Muslims.

Worryingly and for the most part, only two phases remain.

Phase Six begins in 2016 and it will be a period of “total confrontation.” The caliphate will be declared and the “Islamic army” will go to war with non-believers.

In the Seventh Phase, “definitive victory” is accomplished because a war-weary world will succumb to the sheer magnitude of “one-and-a-half-billion Muslims.” All to be accomplished by 2020.

According to a map, said to be issued by the Islamic State, it plans to take control of the Middle East, North Africa, most of the Indian subcontinent and parts of Europe, within the next five years, to complete its caliphate.

ISIS have up to 50,000 members and cash and assets of nearly 2 billion pounds, partly due to their control of oil and gas fields in Iraq and Syria, no surprise that Iraq is one of the most corrupt nations on the planet. They are run like a business and they produce a yearly report, only this report details death, the bombs they've set off, the casualties amassed. Sickening stuff it has to be said.

The updates to this read inspired discussion of terrorist funding, immigration issues throughout Europe and their integration into society, radical preachers that stir up hatred and the Syrian refugee crisis. Each topic forces a hell of a lot feeling to come out and it’s all from amongst your average members of society, the story tells of things that are slowly becoming inevitable and indescribably horrific.

This book contains an in-depth look at Islamic State, it's terrifying, to be honest you just wouldn't go anywhere near where all this is happening and it seems just a matter of time before things escalate even further. It needs stopping and its infuriating when government leaders have to explain why they've sanctioned killing terrorists, was it necessary? It seems there's always people willing to question these difficult decisions. Everyone has rights even terrorists who kill innocents, behead hostages, not in my book they don't. The only way this can be stopped is with force, anybody who thinks differently is living under an umbrella of righteousness and they need to step out and feel the rain. The only way, is for everyone and I mean everyone including Russia, to band together and do what needs to be done.

The things that shocked me the most (absolutely everything but there's an order to this because events are common place), the things that leave a lasting impression burnt into your mind, is IS using children and people with Down syndrome as suicide bombers. In Syria, IS has an army of kids trained to fight, called the 'lion cubs of Khalifa'. There's video footage of these dead eyed youngsters committing atrocities you just can't believe, murdering hostages, head shots etc, it's shocking and sickening. And the treatment of women, a commodity to be used, rape is common place, they have numerous wives and it’s a reward for fighting. The list is simply never ending and it’s so horrific that everything begins to bleed into one another, not specific events but a catalogue of horror that leaves you dumbstruck, stunned and speechless.

Empire of Fear was a buddy read with Tanja and Troy, and I think it's an incredibly taxing subject, mentally draining and not one to be dealt with every day (hopefully, next up is happy days in happyvalley with sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll). It’s absolutely harrowing, soul destroying levels of violence and it’s happening every day, we just don’t get to hear about it unless you purposefully search for the news reports and information.
Empire of Fear is informative without a shadow of doubt, presented in a manner that leaves nothing to the imagination and it’s something that needs to be understood and eradicated, completely. Syria is a nation of people desperate to leave the country they were born in but where do they go and how, the answer is to treat the cause and not the effect (justification isn't needed). Only then will these people feel safe in their own country.

'How we've dealt with Islamic State has been a failure of the collective imagination, the failure to predict what might happen if too little was done to bring security, justice, human dignity and peace to a deeply troubled region.'

Islamic State have fondly portrayed the caliphate as the land of plenty, happy scenes all-around but it couldn't be further from the truth and there are still converted radicals flocking to the area to take part in the fight.

If you want the full story of what's going on in the Middle East and Islamic State then this book tells it all, it is however completely oppressive and overwhelming, you can't help but take a break from reading it because you just feel it could swallow you whole and spit you out a shell of the person you were. It is intensely distressing but I had to read it and I'm glad I now have the knowledge concerning the troubles of the Middle East. And my apologies for the longish review.

Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...

[Brittany McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

chilling information. Some events got repetitive, but very well researched and thorough

[Rianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Onderzoeksjournalistiek naar de hel op aarde.

[Heleen T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het is eigenlijk een onderzoekspublicatie waar je je (helaas) doorheen moet worstelen. Ongelooflijk interessant, maar ontzettend complex. Zodra de schrijver niet meer chronologisch schreef, raakte ik de draad wel een beetje kwijt. Helpt natuurlijk ook niet dat alle karakters lange ingewikkelde namen hebben en de doorstroom vrij groot is (iykwim).

Kudo’s naar de schrijver though, is niet makkelijk om deze complexe geschiedenis en heftige ontwikkelingen in een boek te vervatten. Voor z’n werk en effort krijgt hij zeker 5 sterren van me.

[Joel Pinckney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book as part of the research I'm doing for a project investigating ISIS and the degree to which the United States contributed to their ascension. I found Hosken's work to be well written, thoroughly researched, and helpful in establishing a more comprehensive understanding of how ISIS came into being and what ISIS looks like today. Certainly not an easy book to read, but a pivotal organization to understand today. This book helps to do that.

[Sang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult read, in every single way. From the dense footnotes, and frequent references/ allusions (Warning: This isn't a Kindle-friendly book; it's made for the complexity of print), to the subject matter itself, it's very difficult reading. But I also believe it's the most important book I've read all year. The 5 stars are my way of flagging that off, loud and clear.

[Kiri Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult, terrifying read but one that is necessary in understanding one of the major contemporary threats to our world today. I appreciated Andrew Hosken's approach - spoken like a true journalist, it was neutral, non-sensationalist, and to the point.

Crucial reading for anyone wanting to separate fact from fiction.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
This gives a very good understanding of the Islamic State. A well researched and comprehensive look at this organization. I would recommend it to anyone trying to understand what is going on in the middle east today.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one book you must read if you want to understand why IS exists, where it came from, what it espouses and how it might be beaten. First class.

[Peter Gasston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of amazing insights into ISIS and the Middle East. Key takeaways:

1. ISIS’ brutality and savagery is terrifying.
2. Their plan is to create division: between Sunni and Shia, between muslims and kafir. Most of the popular media reactions help support those divisions.
3. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a catastrophic error, and has been followed by a sequence of equally catastrophic errors. War without proper planning is a mistake.

Recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand the threats we face today.

[Andy Armitage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very accessible overview of the sectarian conflict in the Middle East. Gives a sense of how the tension between the Shia and Sunni, along with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Syrian Uprising, have all contributed to the rise of Islamic State. The book also gives a glimpse of what life is like under the sadistic regime and an account of the efforts of its opponents afford to defeat and dismantle the group. Highly recommended introduction that provides a way in to a very messy and confusing conflict.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book scared the life out of me. These extremists want to go back to pure Sharia law or thier interpretation of it. Anyone not on this new plan is considered an enemy. This ISIS group is very violent and uses torture and then kills the so called offending parties. If we do not defeat them they will start taking over other countries. But even if we can defeat them there will be another group coming along.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply disturbing but well-written blow by blow account of rise of ISIS and the chaos left in the aftermath of the Iraq invasion that played a part in its rise. Essential reading for anyone interested in the current situation in the Middle East. I

[Aditya Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. From legacy to potential future outcomes, everything related to ISIS/ ISIL / Islamic State covered in a crisp manner.

[Ajith Hettiarachchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read to the hidden extremist world....!

Great book with lots of insight to the hidden world behind the walls of extremist Islam ideology. Brilliantly produced book.

[Palash · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read for anyone who wants to understand the rise and existence of the deadliest terrorist organisation. I was too young to understand what was happening in Iraq and Syria during first 15 years of this century. Hosken presents a well documented introduction to this conflict, often giving historical and geographical context as well as lists views of various diplomatic or military officers serving in the region. The book also touches on broader range of terrorist activities and most importantly highlights what fuelled rise and re-rise of Islamic State. Horrifying truth of what humans are capable of, when pushed to their limits. I wish there was a sequel book, as this was 8 years ago, to understand how situation has evolved since then.

[Monzenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical take on the rise, and what would eventually turn out to be the peak, of ISIS. Starting from the 80s it charts a small organisation growing to a large one, as it eventually occupies significant parts of Syria and Iraq. Reads more like a collection of articles than a book at times but it doesn't take away from the wealth of knowledge it gives the reader. A good resource of an important part of the early to mid 2010s history.

[Mindy Greiling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now read the news with better understanding, but wish the book had been written more recently than 2015 so I could have learned more about the current situation. The bottom line this book makes clear is that our country needs to do more than join in the killing if we really want them and us to succeed.

[Saskia Osinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geeft een indringend beeld van hoe IS zo machtig kon worden in een zeer onrustig Midden-Oosten. Geen boek voor tere zielen, de wreedheden van IS die beschreven worden zijn zo weerzinwekkend dat je dat liever niet weet.

[Ankit Dewan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel is a great account of the evolution of ISIS

[Andre Paulos]

👏🏻

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izvrsna knjiga, na trenutke jako teška za čitati, ne zbog stila pisanja, već zbog monstruoznosti koje su pripadnici Islamske države činili.

[William Irvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the spate of books on the Islamic State to come out in 2015,this is one of the best. Tracing the rise, fall and now resurgence - to it's origins in Iraq during the 2000s - even Al-Qaeda find some of its hideous excesses intolerable.

Former BBC reporter, Hosken, explains the group’s sudden resurgence - deadlier than its first incarnation- in 2014 having been written off as a spent force after summary defeats earlier that decade. With the departure of the Americans, all-pervasive corruption in Iraq and the UK/US lack of any plan for how to 'win the peace' after toppling Saddam Hussein, the West has a lot to answer for allowing the rebirth of this monster.

Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the reasons for the rise of the movement and why it has been so difficult to defeat. It’s also very readable – but is not for the queasy - some of the excesses described sent a shiver up my spine.

[Former SJW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-researched look into the Islamic State, it's leaders and how it arose in the face of sequential catastrophic American interventions in Iraqi politics after 2005. A note: in some parts this book was quite graphic with descriptions of rape, genocide, slavery, and torture, and I was deeply affected by this. Just a forewarning, if you're anything like me, you will be absolutely terrified for what the future holds for the Levant by the end of this book.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend reading "Black Flags" by Joby Warrick over this book. His writing style is a bit difficult to read when he jumps between 1998 and 2015 in a single paragraph. His historical context is also a bit thin, in my opinion, but Andrew Hosken does offer some different ideas on the origins of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

[Library]

"A tremendously useful, insightful study of the frightening spread of a culture of death. Hosken does an excellent job of sorting out the American reaction, the failure of the Iraqi leadership in the form of Nouri al-Maliki and others, and how IS has becomes the richest terrorist group in the world."
—Kirkus Reviews, (Starred)

[Debbie Cleaveley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative without being patronising, detailed without being sensationalist, this book has helped me to understand the growth of IS as well as fill the many knowledge gaps I had about Iraq and Afghanistan. Highly recommended.

[Garima Mamgain · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is a very factual commentary on everything about ISIS. The reason for its rise, its ideology and what is the terror it has spread so far. till the time its terror reign continues none of us are safe anywhere. very interesting read and very brave writing this.

[Errol Siegel]

Scary stuff. Well worth reading.

[Arun R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about ISIS