The rise of the Islamic State has dramatically forced a recalculation of political order and security in the Persian Gulf and broader Greater Middle East by the United States and its allies and adversaries, including, most notably, Iran, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Since the Arab Spring of 2011, the Islamic State has altered the military balance in the Syrian intra-state conflict and captured significant territory in Iraq. Its military successes has attracted foreign fighters from more than 100 countries, drawn in some cases by a sophisticated recruitment strategy that effectively combines a jihadist message with a social media outreach program targeting vulnerable Muslim populations in the region and the West. The Islamic State has prompted renewed American and allied military intervention in Iraq and Syria, and complicated the US relationship with its Iranian adversaries. The New Islamic State examines the rise of the religious extremist organization from the ashes of al-Qaeda in Iraq to its current efforts in Syria and Iraq and is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the Islamic State, its effects on the Persian Gulf and Greater Middle East, and the response of both regional and great powers. The book is suitable for academics, policymakers and the general public.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Tom Lansford and David Holt
Chapter 2: The Rise of the Islamic State
Wayne Lesperance
Chapter 3: Ideology and Theology
Robert Pauly and R. Alan King
Chapter 4: The Use of Propaganda and Social Media
Rachel Yon
Chapter 5: IS and Al Qaeda-Affiliated Groups
Peter Dean
Chapter 6: Islamic State: Redefining the World Stage
R. Alan King
Chapter 7: IS in Syria
Mark Sedgwick
Chapter 8: Those Who Face Death: An Examination of the Relationship between Kurdistan and the Islamic State
Charlie Carlee
Chapter 9 Regional Powers and the Islamic State
Jorge Brown
Chapter 10: The Obama Administration and IS
Richard Yon and James L. Long, Jr.
Chapter 11: The European Response to IS
Robert Pauly and Kelly M. Roberts
Chapter 12: Islamic State Recruitment Strategies and Tactics
Brian Carriere
Chapter 13: Canada, Australia, New Zealand and IS
Dara Conduit, David Malet and Levi West
Chapter 14: Conclusion: Future Challenges
Robert Pauly, Tom Lansford and Jack Covarrubias
About the Author :
Jack Covarrubias is the Director of the Learning Commons at The University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast. His experience bridges academia and the military where he has focused on American foreign policy and homeland security. His most recent projects include Fostering Community Resilience: Homeland Security and Hurricane Katrina (Ashgate, 2010). Tom Lansford is a Professor of Political Science at The University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast and a member of the governing board of the National Social Science Association. Robert J. Pauly, Jr. is an Associate Professor of International Development at The University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast, a Senior Analyst for Wikistrat, the world’s first crowdsourced consultancy, and a regular guest providing expertise on US foreign policy and national and homeland security issues on the Steve and Mike Radio Show on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. His most recent book is The Ashgate Research Companion to US Foreign Policy (2010).
Review :
’This important and timely book provides an impressive breadth of analysis on the emergence and global impact of the Islamic State.’ James Forest, University of Massachusetts Lowel, USA ’The authors provide a compelling, in-depth, multifaceted examination of the Islamic State. This book is for anyone who wants to understand IS' genesis and evolution, its impact both regionally and globally, the threat the group poses to the Middle East and the West, and how the international community should respond most effectively to IS in order to ultimately defeat the organization.’ Chris White, Livingstone College, USA
