The Age of Jihad : Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East

**From the award-winning author of __The Rise of Islamic State__, the essential story of the Middle East’s disintegration**__The Age of Jihad__ charts the turmoil of today’s Middle East and the devastating role the West has played in the region from 2001 to the present. Beginning with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, Cockburn explores the vast geopolitical struggle that is the Sunni–Shia conflict, a clash that shapes the war on terror, western military interventions, the evolution of the insurgency, the civil wars in Yemen, Libya and Syria, the Arab Spring, the fall of regional dictators, and the rise of Islamic State. As Cockburn shows in arresting detail, Islamic State did not explode into existence in Syria in the wake of the Arab Spring, as conventional wisdom would have it. The organization gestated over several years in occupied Iraq, before growing to the point where it can threaten the stability of the whole region. Cockburn was the first Western journalist to warn of the dangers posed by Islamic State. His originality and breadth of vision make __The Age of Jihad__ the most in-depth analysis of the regional crisis in the Middle East to date. “Patrick Cockburn spotted the emergence of ISIS much earlier than anybody else and wrote about it with a depth of understanding that was just in a league of its own. Nobody else was writing that stuff at that time, and the judges wondered whether the Government should consider pensioning off the whole of MI6 and hiring Patrick Cockburn instead. The breadth of his knowledge and his ability make connections is phenomenal.” —Judges of the Foreign Affairs Journalist of the Year Award 2014 “Quite simply, the best Western journalist at work in the Middle East today.” —Seymour M. Hersh “One of the best informed on-the-ground journalists. He was almost always correct on Iraq.” —Sidney Blumenthal, in an email to Hillary Clinton “A compelling series of dispatches from a journalist who has learned the hard golden rule in Iraq: ‘to forecast the worst possible outcome.’” —Kirkus Presented In ... Diary Form, This Substantial Volume Draws Together A Careful Selection Of Cockburn's Writings From The Frontlines Of The Conflicts In Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya And Syria, Interspersed With Thoughtful Analyses And Contemporary, Original Reflection. What Emerges Is The Fine Grain And Nuance Of An Unfolding Tragedy In Which, In Contrast To The Often Facile Proclamations Of Politicians And Much Of The Media: These Are Not Black-and-white Situations, Good Guys Against Bad, Vile Tyrant Against A Risen People Like A Scene Out Of Les Miserables. It Is Astonishing And Depressing To See Western Governments Committing Their Countries To Wars Without Recognizing This Basic Fact. The Conflicts Being Fueled By Such Misunderstandings Are Today Spilling Over To Cities In The West, Provoking A Backlash That Learns Little From Recent History And Is Likely Only To Make Things Worse.--publisher. Part 1. Afghan Prelude -- The Overthrow Of The Taliban, Afghanistan, 2001 -- Part 2. The Occupation Of Iraq, Iraq, 1990-2003 -- Iraq Under Sanctions, Iraq, 2003 -- Regime Change, Iraq, 2003 -- Resistance, Iraq, 2004 -- Bombs And Ballots, Iraq, 2005 -- Civil War, Iraq, 2006-7 -- Drawdown, Iraq, 2007-10 -- Part 3. Afghan Reprise -- The Return Of The Taliban, Afghanistan, 2009-2012 -- Part Iv: The Arab Spring -- Mission Creep, Libya, 2011 -- The Somalianisation Of Libya, Libya, 2012-14 -- Yemen In The Crossfire, Yemen, 2009-15 -- Sectarian Venom, Bahrain, 2011 -- Part 5. Syria: Revolution And Counter-revolution -- From Revolution To Sectarian War, Syria, 2011-13 -- Syrian Catastrophe, Syria, 2013-14 -- Part 6. Birth Of A Caliphate -- Ten Years On, Iraq, 2013 -- Iraq On The Brink, Iraq, 2013-2014 -- The Islamic State Expands, The Caliphate, 2014 -- The Islamic State Remains, The Caliphate, 2014-2015 -- Life In The Caliphate, The Caliphate, 2015 -- The Islamic State At Bay, The Caliphate, 2015-2016 -- Afterword : Eight Wars. Patrick Cockburn. Originally Published: Chaos And Caliphate. New York : Or Books, 2016. Includes Index. An essential chronicle of the major conflict of our age from the award-winning author of The Rise of Islamic State , charting the fault lines of the Middle East’s disintegration since 9/11 “Quite simply, the best Western journalist at work in the Middle East today.”—Seymour M. Hersh The Age of Jihad charts the turmoil of today’s Middle East and the devastating role the West has played in the region from 2001 to the present. Beginning with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, Cockburn explores the vast geopolitical struggle that is the Sunni–Shia conflict, a clash that shapes the war on terror, western military interventions, the evolution of the insurgency, the civil wars in Yemen, Libya and Syria, the Arab Spring, the fall of regional dictators, and the rise of Islamic State. As Cockburn shows in arresting detail, Islamic State did not explode into existence in Syria in the wake of the Arab Spring, as conventional wisdom would have it. The organization gestated over several years in occupied Iraq, before growing to the point where it can threaten the stability of the whole region. Cockburn was the first Western journalist to warn of the dangers posed by Islamic State. His originality and breadth of vision make The Age of Jihad the most in-depth analysis of the regional crisis in the Middle East to date. From the award-winning author of The Rise of Islamic State, the essential story of the Middle East’s disintegration The Age of Jihad charts the turmoil of today’s Middle East and the devastating role the West has played in the region from 2001 to the present. Beginning with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, Cockburn explores the vast geopolitical struggle that is the Sunni–Shia conflict, a clash that shapes the war on terror, western military interventions, the evolution of the insurgency, the civil wars in Yemen, Libya and Syria, the Arab Spring, the fall of regional dictators, and the rise of Islamic State. As Cockburn shows in arresting detail, Islamic State did not explode into existence in Syria in the wake of the Arab Spring, as conventional wisdom would have it. The organization gestated over several years in occupied Iraq, before growing to the point where it can threaten the stability of the whole region. Cockburn was the first Western journalist to warn of the dangers posed by Islamic State. His originality and breadth of vision make The Age of Jihad the most in-depth analysis of the regional crisis in the Middle East to date. From the award-winning author of The Rise of Islamic State, the essential story of the Middle East's disintegrationThe Age of Jihad charts the turmoil of today's Middle East and the devastating role the West has played in the region from 2001 to the present. Beginning with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, Cockburn explores the vast geopolitical struggle that is the Sunni6Shia conflict, a clash that shapes the war on terror, western military interventions, the evolution of the insurgency, the civil wars in Yemen, Libya and Syria, the Arab Spring, the fall of regional dictators, and the rise of Islamic State. As Cockburn shows in arresting detail, Islamic State did not explode into existence in Syria in the wake of the Arab Spring, as conventional wisdom would have it. The organization gestated over several years in occupied Iraq, before growing to the point where it can threaten the stability of the whole region. Cockburn was the first Western journalist to warn of the dangers posed by Islamic State. His originality and breadth of vision make The Age of Jihad the most in-depth analysis of the regional crisis in the Middle East to date This is essential reading for anyone interested in the collapse of the Middle East, and the devastating role of the West in the creation of this hellish crucible. In Age of Jihad Cockburn exposes the dominant conflict of our time-the Sunni-Shia war, and the subsequent origins of ISIS. As he shows this did not explode suddenly in Syria after the Arab Spring as the conventional view holds, but over several years in occupied Iraq. It is in the sectarian conflict that engulfed Iraq following the war of 2003 that patterns were established that would later spill over into Syria with such devastating results. Since July 2014, the dominance of ISIS threatens the stability of the whole region. Cockburn was the first Western commentator to warn of ISIS, so far ahead of everyone else that last year the judges of the British Journalism Awards advised the UK government to 'consider pensioning off the whole of MI6 and hiring Patrick Cockburn instead.' Age of Jihad will be the most in-depth analysis of the failure of the Middle East to date Award winning journalist chronicles the major conflict of our times This is essential reading for anyone interested in the collapse of the Middle East, and the devastating role of the West in the creation of this hellish crucible. In The Age of Jihad Patrick Cockburn, the author of the best-selling The Rise of Islamic State , exposes the dominant conflict of our time—the Sunni–Shia war, and the subsequent origins of ISIS. As he shows this did not explode suddenly in Syria after the Arab Spring as the conventional view holds, but over several years in occupied Iraq. It is in the sectarian conflict that engulfed Iraq following the war of 2003 that patterns were established that would later spill over into Syria with such devastating results. Since July 2014, the dominance of ISIS has threatened the stability of the whole region. Cockburn was the first Western commentator to warn of ISIS, so far ahead of everyone else that last year the judges of... "Presented in ... diary form, this substantial volume draws together a careful selection of Cockburn's writings from the frontlines of the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, interspersed with thoughtful analyses and contemporary, original reflection. What emerges is the fine grain and nuance of an unfolding tragedy in which, in contrast to the often facile proclamations of politicians and much of the media : "These are not black-and-white situations, good guys against bad, vile tyrant against a risen people like a scene out of Les Miserables. It is astonishing and depressing to see Western governments committing their countries to wars without recognizing this basic fact." The conflicts being fueled by such misunderstandings are today spilling over to cities in the West, provoking a backlash that learns little from recent history and is likely only to make things worse.--Site de l'éditeur Cockburn was the first Western journalist to warn of the dangers posed by Islamic State. His originality and breadth of vision make The Age of Jihad the most in-depth analysis of the regional crisis in the Middle East to date. 2001 heralded a new age of disintegration in the Middle East. This has had a murderous impact on the people who live there but also the world beyond. Beginning with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, Cockburn explores the vast geopolitical struggle that is the Sunni-Shia conflict, a clash that shapes the war on terror, western military interventions, the evolution of the insurgency, the civil wars in Yemen, Libya and Syria, the Arab Spring, the fall of regional dictators, and the rise of Islamic State.