What do you think?
Rate this book
The Rise of Islamic State
Though capable of staging spectacular attacks like 9/11, jihadist organizations were not a significant force on the ground when they first became notorious in the shape of al-Qa'ida at the turn of century.
Today, that's changed. Exploiting the missteps of the West's wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, as well as its misjudgments in relation to Syria and the uprisings of the Arab Spring, jihadist organizations, of which ISIS is the most important, are swiftly expanding. They now control a geographical territory greater in size than Britain or Michigan, stretching from the Sunni heartlands in the north and west of Iraq through a broad swath of north-east Syria. On the back of their capture of Mosul and much of northern Iraq in June 2014, the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been declared the head of a new caliphate that demands the allegiance of all Muslims. The secular, democratic politics that were supposedly at the fore of the Arab Spring have been buried by the return of the jihadis.
Writing with customary calmness and clarity, and drawing on unrivaled experience as a reporter in the region, Cockburn analyzes the unfolding of one of the West's greatest foreign policy debacles and the rise of the new jihadis.
About the Author
Patrick Cockburn is currently a Middle East correspondent for the Independent. His book on Iraq's recent history, The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq, was a finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Awards. He won the Martha Gellhorn Prize in 2005, the James Cameron Prize in 2006, and the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2009. He was named Foreign Commentator of the Year by the Comment Awards in 2013.
Today, that's changed. Exploiting the missteps of the West's wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, as well as its misjudgments in relation to Syria and the uprisings of the Arab Spring, jihadist organizations, of which ISIS is the most important, are swiftly expanding. They now control a geographical territory greater in size than Britain or Michigan, stretching from the Sunni heartlands in the north and west of Iraq through a broad swath of north-east Syria. On the back of their capture of Mosul and much of northern Iraq in June 2014, the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been declared the head of a new caliphate that demands the allegiance of all Muslims. The secular, democratic politics that were supposedly at the fore of the Arab Spring have been buried by the return of the jihadis.
Writing with customary calmness and clarity, and drawing on unrivaled experience as a reporter in the region, Cockburn analyzes the unfolding of one of the West's greatest foreign policy debacles and the rise of the new jihadis.
About the Author
Patrick Cockburn is currently a Middle East correspondent for the Independent. His book on Iraq's recent history, The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq, was a finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Awards. He won the Martha Gellhorn Prize in 2005, the James Cameron Prize in 2006, and the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2009. He was named Foreign Commentator of the Year by the Comment Awards in 2013.
172 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2015
21 people are currently reading
673 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Cockburn
36 books173 followersPatrick Oliver Cockburn is an Irish journalist who has been a Middle East correspondent since 1979 for the Financial Times and, presently, The Independent.
He has written four books on Iraq's recent history. He won the Martha Gellhorn Prize in 2005, the James Cameron Prize in 2006 and the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2009.
He has written four books on Iraq's recent history. He won the Martha Gellhorn Prize in 2005, the James Cameron Prize in 2006 and the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2009.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
December 10, 2015
I was expecting a more deeper analysis of the historical, socio-economical, and political roots of the current conflict, But this turned out to be a very short and superficial overview of the contemporary events surrounding the rise of the Islamic State. There is no historical insight here. This is more of a collection of detailed reports lacking cohesion. Patrick Cockburn, however is a good journalist and he manages to show how the US'S hypocritical policies had such devastating consequences in the midde east.
February 7, 2017
Of all the non-academic books I read on the Islamic State this one is by far the best. Imagine yourself sitting in a cafe in Baghdad with somebody sharing their knowledge on Middle Easter affairs over a cup of strong coffee in a vivid, informal way. The Rise of the Islamic State will get you there. In this respect it reminded me of the acclaimed From Beirut to Jerusalem.
It might not be as well researched as others , but at least it is written by somebody who is familiar with the region, has been there many times, knows things first hand and is not writing something to prove a pre-conceived, ideologically-anchored thesis . Not to mention that it is simply well written as opposed to some of the garbage that has been published.
The book consists of 9 chapters that follow the rise of ISIS from many different perspectives. Certain themes are recurring, but this is only to be expected in such a multifaceted conflict with numerous players and numerous interests both on and under the proverbial table. Yet, the book is coherent and takes the reader smoothly through a conundrum of actors, places and events. Mr. Cockburn is a skilled journalist and offers his readers a balanced mix of the background information, anecdotal detail and personal insight. No info dumping, no ideological rants, no conspiracy theorising.
Personally, I would love to have the possibility of following up the sources he used (hence the minus one star for lack of any notes, references and bibliography) but overall, I do recommend this book without any qualms.
It might not be as well researched as others , but at least it is written by somebody who is familiar with the region, has been there many times, knows things first hand and is not writing something to prove a pre-conceived, ideologically-anchored thesis . Not to mention that it is simply well written as opposed to some of the garbage that has been published.
The book consists of 9 chapters that follow the rise of ISIS from many different perspectives. Certain themes are recurring, but this is only to be expected in such a multifaceted conflict with numerous players and numerous interests both on and under the proverbial table. Yet, the book is coherent and takes the reader smoothly through a conundrum of actors, places and events. Mr. Cockburn is a skilled journalist and offers his readers a balanced mix of the background information, anecdotal detail and personal insight. No info dumping, no ideological rants, no conspiracy theorising.
Personally, I would love to have the possibility of following up the sources he used (hence the minus one star for lack of any notes, references and bibliography) but overall, I do recommend this book without any qualms.
March 3, 2018
Extremely important resource, even if it’s now a few years out of date.
It’s difficult to fully fathom what a complete and utter catastrophe the ‘war on terror’ has been. With the rise of ISIS, the most pessimistic predictions of the antiwar movement were met or exceeded. While the world hasn’t literally come to an end yet, we’ve seen the largest refugee crisis since ww2 and the region permanently destabilized in a death spiral of sectarian violence. No one who supported the invasion of Iraq should have any place in American public. The fact that this is a controversial opinion - that, for Christ’s sake, the 2016 Democratic Party nominee was a strong exponent of the war - shows how far we still are from anything like an honest reckoning.
Neither Bush nor Obama was ever serious about countering the actual source of Whabbi terrorism. Anyone with the most cursory knowledge of the phenomenon can tell you Saudi Arabia is far and away its main international sponsor. Yet from its inception the ‘war on terror’ was dedicated to suppressing this basic fact. Through the years the Saudi regime has remained one of our main allies and a chief customer of the US arms industry. Instead we’ve destroyed other countries (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria in part), creating chaos and carnage in which violent Sunni extremists grow from strength to strength.
It’s difficult to fully fathom what a complete and utter catastrophe the ‘war on terror’ has been. With the rise of ISIS, the most pessimistic predictions of the antiwar movement were met or exceeded. While the world hasn’t literally come to an end yet, we’ve seen the largest refugee crisis since ww2 and the region permanently destabilized in a death spiral of sectarian violence. No one who supported the invasion of Iraq should have any place in American public. The fact that this is a controversial opinion - that, for Christ’s sake, the 2016 Democratic Party nominee was a strong exponent of the war - shows how far we still are from anything like an honest reckoning.
Neither Bush nor Obama was ever serious about countering the actual source of Whabbi terrorism. Anyone with the most cursory knowledge of the phenomenon can tell you Saudi Arabia is far and away its main international sponsor. Yet from its inception the ‘war on terror’ was dedicated to suppressing this basic fact. Through the years the Saudi regime has remained one of our main allies and a chief customer of the US arms industry. Instead we’ve destroyed other countries (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria in part), creating chaos and carnage in which violent Sunni extremists grow from strength to strength.
January 31, 2016
An important little book, even if Cockburn repeats himself often, while the book lacks structure. Cockburn, in a nutshell, gives much needed, if basic, information on how the key players in the current Middle Eastern conflict relate to each other.
In short, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
ISIS benefited from the rise of Sunni resistance in Syria as well as the Sunni repression In Iraq. Effectively, ISIS managed to hijack the anti-Assad movement in Syria, while the blanket anti-Sunni sentiments in Shia-dominated Iraq result in, for most Sunni, ISIS being seen as the lesser of two evils.
Add to that the support of specifically both Turkey and Saudi Arabia for opposition movements roughly aligned with ISIS and, in part, the US' desire to unseat Assad and, therefore, also effectively supporting ISIS in their anti-Assad actions, it was also the much earlier mistake of the US, after 9/11, to not address the elephants in the room, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as the main supporters of anti-US terrorism, that has led to the current entanglement of objectives by the many players in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, by insisting that Assad should go as a precondition of peace, while knowing this is not going to happen, his enemies are in practice ensuring that the war will go on.
In short, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
ISIS benefited from the rise of Sunni resistance in Syria as well as the Sunni repression In Iraq. Effectively, ISIS managed to hijack the anti-Assad movement in Syria, while the blanket anti-Sunni sentiments in Shia-dominated Iraq result in, for most Sunni, ISIS being seen as the lesser of two evils.
Add to that the support of specifically both Turkey and Saudi Arabia for opposition movements roughly aligned with ISIS and, in part, the US' desire to unseat Assad and, therefore, also effectively supporting ISIS in their anti-Assad actions, it was also the much earlier mistake of the US, after 9/11, to not address the elephants in the room, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as the main supporters of anti-US terrorism, that has led to the current entanglement of objectives by the many players in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, by insisting that Assad should go as a precondition of peace, while knowing this is not going to happen, his enemies are in practice ensuring that the war will go on.
September 2, 2021
Random fun facts:
* Of fifty-seven Muslim countries, just four have a Shia majority
* US high-level frustration with Saudi Arabia existed well before the brutal murdder of Jamal Khashoggi (gov. officials are aware of Saudi funding of terrorist groups and radical militants
* After about 2012, it was clear that Assad would probably not fall but the war was continued by US, Europe, and regional allies (Turkey, Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE)
* Mut'ah, or Mutta is a Shia tradition of temporary Islamic marriage and is much derided by Sunnis
* Water Wars | ISIS used control of the Fallujah dam to regulate the flow of the Euphrates and flood or choke off cities further south
* Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Gulf monarchies provided ISIS and other Sunni groups in Iraq and Syria, enabling its rise as the development of a Sunni opposition movement was politically advantageous to them
* The "War on Terror" didn't really target the jihadi movement as a whole, because despite the fact Saudi Arabia and Pakistan most fostered jihadism as a movement, they were too important to offend (apparently Pakistan's military had close ties to the Pentagon)
* The continuation of the Civil War in Syria destabilized a fragile political status quo in Iraq, which opened up space for the rise of ISIS there
* Of fifty-seven Muslim countries, just four have a Shia majority
* US high-level frustration with Saudi Arabia existed well before the brutal murdder of Jamal Khashoggi (gov. officials are aware of Saudi funding of terrorist groups and radical militants
* After about 2012, it was clear that Assad would probably not fall but the war was continued by US, Europe, and regional allies (Turkey, Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE)
* Mut'ah, or Mutta is a Shia tradition of temporary Islamic marriage and is much derided by Sunnis
* Water Wars | ISIS used control of the Fallujah dam to regulate the flow of the Euphrates and flood or choke off cities further south
* Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Gulf monarchies provided ISIS and other Sunni groups in Iraq and Syria, enabling its rise as the development of a Sunni opposition movement was politically advantageous to them
* The "War on Terror" didn't really target the jihadi movement as a whole, because despite the fact Saudi Arabia and Pakistan most fostered jihadism as a movement, they were too important to offend (apparently Pakistan's military had close ties to the Pentagon)
* The continuation of the Civil War in Syria destabilized a fragile political status quo in Iraq, which opened up space for the rise of ISIS there
December 8, 2015
The book that David Cameron (and those who rushed to do some bombing) should have read (or had read to him at bedtime) before committing the UK to a war without direction. Patrick Cockburn has a long standing and indepth knowledge of the region, its politics and the actors. Together with Robert Fisk Cockburn leads the way in attempting to understand what msakes the fanatics tick and asks and answers some of the deeper questions that tabloid journalism doesn't and the politicians find inconvenient. Essential reading.
February 25, 2018
A very accessible introduction to the politics of the conflict in Syria and Iraq. I picked this up in a Verso sale, so I knew it would be pretty out-of-date, but I found it useful (if quite obviously stitched together from articles or bits of articles). There are certainly places where it could press harder, and the minimal attention paid to Turkey and the Kurdish struggle seems incredible in retrospect, but it's a good piece of journalism.
August 25, 2016
I found this book super-helpful in understanding what's going on in Syria and Iraq. Cockburn gives the impression - I have no way of knowing whether he really is - of "objectivity" in its best sense, someone who is not promoting a particular world view or set of policy prescriptions, but really trying to figure out what the facts mean. It's a jumping off point for other books like the newer Burning Country. There are a lot of facts in the book and I don't always remember them, have to go back and read certain parts over and over, but it's clear and carefully researched.
July 24, 2022
A short and readable assessment of where Islamic State came from when they erupted across Iraq in 2014. The book was written in 2014 so doesn’t account for how events panned out, but the book serves its purpose. There are other factors, but the two principal causes of the IS uprising can be summarised as 1) the dysfunction, corruption and anti-Sunni sectarianism of the Iraqi state, and 2) the destabilisation of the region, particularly with the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the descent of Syria into civil war in 2011.
September 25, 2015
During the battle for Mosul, local civilians poured into barracks and demanded that Iraqi soldiers leave. Events like this help us understand how a group like ISIS could get going. Journalism is the first cut of history, and Cockburn's book is worth it for that sort of detail.
May 12, 2020
A good read at least as concerns Da'esh's emergence from what was left from Al-Qaeda of Iraq following Zarqawi's death and their territorial advancements throughout 2013-14.
Would be interested in a follow up discussing the organization's capacity and morale after the 2015 setbacks
Would be interested in a follow up discussing the organization's capacity and morale after the 2015 setbacks
July 26, 2015
A really good book! So much info and REALLY opened my eyes to how many sides there are to this war!!
March 21, 2017
This is a pretty decent account of the positions and strategy of ISIS from around 2013 to 2015. Sadly, the book does not read as a coherent narrative and largely seems composed of a series of long articles from other sources. Although each chapter exists as a standalone narrative and covers a general theme, the composition of the book does lead to much overlap in the chapters and subsequently, there is some overlap.
The tone is conversational and precise. Cockburn's journalistic style is very much in the present and there is a tone in the book that conveys well how fluid the situation in the region is (and was at the time of writing). There is a sense of immediacy as ISIS's expansion is documented almost as it is happens.
The book is rather short and what one doesn't really get is the historical perspective on the formation of ISIS. It is also a snapshot of time in that it predates the arrival of Russia into the conflict. As other reviewers have stated, the book conveys well how the region is a cauldron of conflict due to 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend (but also probably my enemy)'.
Some of the more interesting observations in the book follow below. Of course, a few years later much of this has entered into the common discourse and shared knowledge of the region but Cockburn had his finger on the pulse at the time of writing.
The US and Britain's absolute failure in Iraq led to a power vacuum, civil war and subsequently sectarian government in Iraq that favoured Shia and neglected Sunni Muslims. Likewise, whether you think the West's overthrow of Saddam Hussein was justified or not it is clear that despite the millions of dollars invested in training the Iraqi army and supplying them with advanced military equipment they were completely unprepared and incompetent to stop ISIS. It is shuddering to think that so few fighters were able to overthrow a better equipped and far more numerous Iraqi army. Also, when regime change occurred, although there was a friendly West government in place it was totally corrupt. The West's interventions in Iraq have destroyed the region and the infrastructure. It's horrible to think of the suffering the Iraqi's have suffered as a consequence.
The roots of ISIS are well covered and where the funding comes from (Saudi Arabia and Qatar). It is absolutely ridiculous that Saudi money funds ISIS whilst nominally Saudi Arabia is fighting ISIS. It is abhorrent that Saudi Arabia is considered an ally of the West whilst it is both the main buyer of weapons in the region from the West (along with Israel) but also the major exporter of terrorism. (One is reminded of Donald Trump not banning entrants to the US from countries where terrorists are free to radicalise and raise funds!)
Turkey's role in the region is well covered. Turkey are quite happy for ISIS to fight Kurds, quite happy to help ISIS overthrow Assad in Syria yet again, nominally are a member of NATO and an enemy of ISIS. The US rebuke of Turkey is well covered and the book details quite well the mess Turkey are in as a result of using ISIS as a proxy whilst ISIS are threatening them. Events after the publication of the book have seen ISIS attacks in Turkey. Turkey's gamble failed.
The best section in the book for me covers the relationship between ISIS and Al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria and covers that started as allies and became enemies. Even today, it is still not clear in the West exactly WHO the moderate rebels are who are fighting Assad in Syria. This was another failed gamble by the West. In wishing regime change they hoped for Assad to topple quickly. Instead, his persistence, and Russia's refusal to lose influence backfired on the West. What we ended with is the West were directly arming Al-Qaeda / ISIS whilst also bombing ISIS. It is clear the geo-political games of the actors have led to immense suffering for ordinary people.
The media war in Syria is well covered. In the UK we have seen the siege of East Aleppo end recently. What we never see is 'West Aleppo'. We never see fighters in East Aleppo. The evacuation showed no men. The media - very deliberately painted Assad as a war criminal (with some justification) but neglected to mention they were working with jihadi's and supporting jihadi aims. (I'm amazed with the fluency and immediacy of the 8 year old girl tweeting from Aleppo and how quickly she got out of Aleppo to meet the Turkish government.... hmmm....)
This week in the UK there have been stories about the end of the siege of Mosul and why the Iraqi's won't / can't help. Of course, this book highlights how relatively easy it was for ISIS to overrun the city due to the actions of the Shia against the Sunni majority in the city.
So, the book is brief, is a snapshot of time and has it's limitations but nevertheless it's a pretty good read. Recommended.
Some good articles about Syria and the West's role - https://cultureandpolitics.org/catego...
The tone is conversational and precise. Cockburn's journalistic style is very much in the present and there is a tone in the book that conveys well how fluid the situation in the region is (and was at the time of writing). There is a sense of immediacy as ISIS's expansion is documented almost as it is happens.
The book is rather short and what one doesn't really get is the historical perspective on the formation of ISIS. It is also a snapshot of time in that it predates the arrival of Russia into the conflict. As other reviewers have stated, the book conveys well how the region is a cauldron of conflict due to 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend (but also probably my enemy)'.
Some of the more interesting observations in the book follow below. Of course, a few years later much of this has entered into the common discourse and shared knowledge of the region but Cockburn had his finger on the pulse at the time of writing.
The US and Britain's absolute failure in Iraq led to a power vacuum, civil war and subsequently sectarian government in Iraq that favoured Shia and neglected Sunni Muslims. Likewise, whether you think the West's overthrow of Saddam Hussein was justified or not it is clear that despite the millions of dollars invested in training the Iraqi army and supplying them with advanced military equipment they were completely unprepared and incompetent to stop ISIS. It is shuddering to think that so few fighters were able to overthrow a better equipped and far more numerous Iraqi army. Also, when regime change occurred, although there was a friendly West government in place it was totally corrupt. The West's interventions in Iraq have destroyed the region and the infrastructure. It's horrible to think of the suffering the Iraqi's have suffered as a consequence.
The roots of ISIS are well covered and where the funding comes from (Saudi Arabia and Qatar). It is absolutely ridiculous that Saudi money funds ISIS whilst nominally Saudi Arabia is fighting ISIS. It is abhorrent that Saudi Arabia is considered an ally of the West whilst it is both the main buyer of weapons in the region from the West (along with Israel) but also the major exporter of terrorism. (One is reminded of Donald Trump not banning entrants to the US from countries where terrorists are free to radicalise and raise funds!)
Turkey's role in the region is well covered. Turkey are quite happy for ISIS to fight Kurds, quite happy to help ISIS overthrow Assad in Syria yet again, nominally are a member of NATO and an enemy of ISIS. The US rebuke of Turkey is well covered and the book details quite well the mess Turkey are in as a result of using ISIS as a proxy whilst ISIS are threatening them. Events after the publication of the book have seen ISIS attacks in Turkey. Turkey's gamble failed.
The best section in the book for me covers the relationship between ISIS and Al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria and covers that started as allies and became enemies. Even today, it is still not clear in the West exactly WHO the moderate rebels are who are fighting Assad in Syria. This was another failed gamble by the West. In wishing regime change they hoped for Assad to topple quickly. Instead, his persistence, and Russia's refusal to lose influence backfired on the West. What we ended with is the West were directly arming Al-Qaeda / ISIS whilst also bombing ISIS. It is clear the geo-political games of the actors have led to immense suffering for ordinary people.
The media war in Syria is well covered. In the UK we have seen the siege of East Aleppo end recently. What we never see is 'West Aleppo'. We never see fighters in East Aleppo. The evacuation showed no men. The media - very deliberately painted Assad as a war criminal (with some justification) but neglected to mention they were working with jihadi's and supporting jihadi aims. (I'm amazed with the fluency and immediacy of the 8 year old girl tweeting from Aleppo and how quickly she got out of Aleppo to meet the Turkish government.... hmmm....)
This week in the UK there have been stories about the end of the siege of Mosul and why the Iraqi's won't / can't help. Of course, this book highlights how relatively easy it was for ISIS to overrun the city due to the actions of the Shia against the Sunni majority in the city.
So, the book is brief, is a snapshot of time and has it's limitations but nevertheless it's a pretty good read. Recommended.
Some good articles about Syria and the West's role - https://cultureandpolitics.org/catego...
September 1, 2025
(3.5) this was the perfect introductory read for me to begin learning more about conflict in the middle east.
i went in to this with essentially zero prior knowledge of anything to do with the middle east. it's been a topic i've been interested in for a long time, but it's all so tangled up and complicated that i've been too intimidated to learn more about it in the past.
one of my many goals for the year was to read a non-fiction book and this has definitely made me want to read more. it's easy to read, not too wordy, and covers a lot of ground.
i wouldn't recommend this to anyone who has studied relations in the middle east, but i give patrick cockburn a huge round of applause for making such a chaotic and messy history so easy to follow.
i did plenty of extra googling and researching while reading, and i've written about an essay's worth of annotations, yet i still thoroughly enjoyed and didn't feel like the author was trying to make me feel stupid (which i do sometimes think authors try to do).
i still don't feel like i'm particularly well researched on the middle east, but i do feel ready to tackle some not-so-beginner books now!
i went in to this with essentially zero prior knowledge of anything to do with the middle east. it's been a topic i've been interested in for a long time, but it's all so tangled up and complicated that i've been too intimidated to learn more about it in the past.
one of my many goals for the year was to read a non-fiction book and this has definitely made me want to read more. it's easy to read, not too wordy, and covers a lot of ground.
i wouldn't recommend this to anyone who has studied relations in the middle east, but i give patrick cockburn a huge round of applause for making such a chaotic and messy history so easy to follow.
i did plenty of extra googling and researching while reading, and i've written about an essay's worth of annotations, yet i still thoroughly enjoyed and didn't feel like the author was trying to make me feel stupid (which i do sometimes think authors try to do).
i still don't feel like i'm particularly well researched on the middle east, but i do feel ready to tackle some not-so-beginner books now!
September 16, 2023
This is a period piece, from 2014 (unless you have a new edition). My summary is: it's complicated. But that's not Patrick's fault. It just is. If like me you had to reread the last couple of chapters of the Hobbit to understand the Battle of the Five Armies, then you'll struggle to position the protagonists in 2014 Syria. Alawaites, rebels, Baathists, jihadis, the FSA, PYD, Hezbollah, militants, JAN, Islamic Front, PKK, the Muslim Brotherhood, insurgents, Safavids,Salafids, coalition forces, Wahhabis, Yazidis..... I'm surprised anyone there can work out what is going on or differentiate friend from foe. Patrick can, and did well to bring them all to our attention. I will now seek an update on Syria, braced for a complicated statement.
February 2, 2025
4.0
This book was pretty insightful on salafists groups affairs. It helped me understand more about 9/11, the position that the US took after it, and the part that countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan play in all of this. One of my favorite parts was the talk on war reporters and how sensationalism can lead to more violence and terror. I´d have like a bit more information about how this groups formed but considering this is only 132 pages it was well rounded.
"ISIS has many enemies, so numerous indeed that they should be able to overwhelm it in the long term, but their disunity and differing agendas mean that the Islamic State is fast becoming an established geographic and political fact on the map." (loc 1551)
This book was pretty insightful on salafists groups affairs. It helped me understand more about 9/11, the position that the US took after it, and the part that countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan play in all of this. One of my favorite parts was the talk on war reporters and how sensationalism can lead to more violence and terror. I´d have like a bit more information about how this groups formed but considering this is only 132 pages it was well rounded.
"ISIS has many enemies, so numerous indeed that they should be able to overwhelm it in the long term, but their disunity and differing agendas mean that the Islamic State is fast becoming an established geographic and political fact on the map." (loc 1551)
September 1, 2017
Part of the strengths of this book are the way Cockburn details the environment in which ISIS began and flourished. He dismisses the notion of an Iraq crying out for democratic protection and instead presents one that is deeply cynical of any governmental service or representative. Something I took for granted was how deeply destructive the years of conflict and governmental instability have on Iraq and the greater region.
July 28, 2019
This is a very brief overview of the main foundational elements to the rise of what we now know as ISIS. Do not expect an in-depth and detailed breakdown. The page length surely gives that away so I’m not sure why many are surprised - this is clearly meant to be an introductory work for those interested in learning more about ISIS, and in that it achieves its objective.
Cockburn has a very readable writing style and conveys his thoughts and knowledge well.
Cockburn has a very readable writing style and conveys his thoughts and knowledge well.
Currently reading
August 19, 2021Contents
Maps - vii
Preface: The Hundred Days - ix
1. The Rise of ISIS - 1
2. The Battle of Mosul - 11
3. In Denial - 23
4. Jihadis on the March - 41
5. The Sunni Resurgence in Iraq - 61
6. Jihadis Hijack the Syria Uprising - 79
7. Saudi Arabia Tries to Pull Back - 97
8. If It Bleeds It Leads - 111
9. Shock and War - 135
Afterword - 151
Acknowledgements - 163
Index - 165
Maps - vii
Preface: The Hundred Days - ix
1. The Rise of ISIS - 1
2. The Battle of Mosul - 11
3. In Denial - 23
4. Jihadis on the March - 41
5. The Sunni Resurgence in Iraq - 61
6. Jihadis Hijack the Syria Uprising - 79
7. Saudi Arabia Tries to Pull Back - 97
8. If It Bleeds It Leads - 111
9. Shock and War - 135
Afterword - 151
Acknowledgements - 163
Index - 165
June 13, 2019
Loved it - his personal experiences and professional skill dovetail perfectly, in my humble opinion :P
If you want to know anything about Iraq, Syria and the modern history of warfare, politics and civic life in the Middle East , this author should be your first stop.
If you want to know anything about Iraq, Syria and the modern history of warfare, politics and civic life in the Middle East , this author should be your first stop.
October 7, 2023
Alright…! The author gave his fair share about the ISIS…! Yet, I bought the book to get a legitimate press idea about the crisis in Syria and Iraq…! NOW… I feel terrible that I paid £9.99 on an author who has been public-ally anti-semite in 7 to 8 times (in a work that suppose to debate ISIS)…!
August 6, 2025
I thought this short book was helpful to understand conflict in the Middle East but I felt like it could have given more background context for some of the longer standing / historical politics between religious groups and foreign involvement
June 8, 2017
A good clear description of the power plays and power vacuums that have allowed ISIS to grow. Only problem: it was written in 2014, so is very out of date with current situation.
July 6, 2017
If you are looking for an in depth socio economic look at the rise of ISIS this isn't the book for you. This is more of a superficial look of the spread and conflict.
March 21, 2018
gave the better understanding of the rise of the ISIS and particularly the role of the Arab countries in it.
July 16, 2018
Enlightening read for the most part, offered new insight into the secret machinations of Iraq's neighbours, but most of the other information contained was information readily available elsewhere.
September 18, 2019
A short but insightful introduction on the rise of ISIS by a heavyweight of foreign journalism.
April 22, 2020
excellent, cogent and understandable
September 25, 2024
Useful but immediately dated by subsequent events
November 16, 2024
This book is garbage 🔥🔥
No but this book really offers nothing it doesn’t even scratch a surface
No but this book really offers nothing it doesn’t even scratch a surface
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews