Colin P. Clarke’s “After the Caliphate’ is the best book I have read so far on Isis. The aim of Isis was an unwavering commitment to reinstating the rule of the Caliphate by any means necessary; but the Caliphate is a phenomenon in not just the physical, but also the mental ‘space’. Its existence as a physical ‘space’ is an anomaly, as most of the radical groups do not seek territorial manifestation. Usually, radicalism manifests itself locally in many different organizations embedded in local conflicts which makes them incredibly difficult to target.
The author feels that there is a very strong nihilistic element in these groups: “It is not the radicalization of Islam, but rather the Islamization of radicalism.”
Isis tailors its messages to myriad demographics, and will adjust its tactics as well, as it will re-locate and insert itself into new and existing battlefields in North Africa and South East Asia; with occasional spectacular attacks on the West to motivate members and inspire new recruits.
There are excellent must-read sections on the financing of Isis, which as a territorial state was financed through the sale of oil and ‘taxation’ (extortion). Very little of the financing was from external sources. At its height, it has six billion dollars, much of it from sacking conquered areas, such as the looting of Mosul, and it was probably able to extricate via Turkey about four hundred million dollars, which has been used to acquire a mixture of gold and legitimate businesses. Other excellent sections deal with the weapons, the use of terror, tactics and the manifestation of propaganda by the caliphate.
Clarke argues that the Caliphate was defeated by five factors: 1) Military support for the partners engaged in actual fighting. 2)Impeding the flow of foreign recruits. 3) Stopping the funding and financing. 4)Publicizing and addressing the humanitarian issues. 5)Exposing the odious nature of Isis; a predatory state existing for conquest and enslavement.
There is an interesting section on the failed and seemingly hopeless attempts of governments to re-educate and re-integrate returning jihadists; the future looks very grim for Europe; where little has been accomplished beyond an interesting intellectual debate in France on the question as to whether the returning jihadists are sociopaths or religious zealots..
In dealing with the global jihadist movement it is argued: “If we ever hope to bring an end to the so-called Global War on Terror, it is essential that we find political solutions to the conflicts in weak states where jihadists groups seek refuge or safe haven.” We need a new strategy that goes beyond ad-hoc terrorism responses: we must diminish the environment that fuels radicalism, and ensure good governance, reduce government corruption and strengthen local forces.
Extremely well-written it has excellent documentation for further research.
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Well researched, lots of information, a little less on the recommendation side
I received this book specifically to write a review. That said, I always try to be honest and transparent in all my reviews.(Please see the enclosed pictures.)This is a very interesting book, and it is very timely.Anyone interested in national security and history has some level of concern about the conflict between radical Islam. It groups in the West.Colin Clarke, the author, does an excellent job of analyzing the history of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS). Colin shows the origin of both groups and how they had many of the same roots.One of the key points that the author makes is that even though the caliphate only existed for a brief period of time in the western part of Syria in the eastern part of Iraq, it will serve as a point of propaganda for these radical Islamic groups for several generations.Colin is very thorough in tracing where the foreign fighters have returned to, the social conditions that created them to begin with, and the potential futures of these radical Islamic movements now that the caliphate has been disbanded.I found the book fascinating.The one area that I wanted to see more out of the book was in recommendations for how we deal with some of the challenges that Colin identified. That was relegated to a single chapter at the end of the book.All in all, it was fun to read and extremely informative.
Top reviews from other countries
Edward Penning
Opening up a pandora's box.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2019