The New Threat

"Essential reading" from one of the world's leading authorities on the roots, reality, and future of modern Muslim extremism, with a new afterword by the author (Andrew Bacevich).

"The book on jihad that Donald Trump needs to read." ―Newsweek

"A fine overview [from] one of the shrewdest observers of contemporary Muslim activism . . . Draws together the strands of a highly complex reality to create a picture that is not just convincing but readable." ―The New York Review of Books

From Syria to Somalia, from Libya to Indonesia, from Yemen to the capitals of Europe, Islamic militancy appears stronger, more widespread, and more threatening than ever.In The New Threat prizewinning frontline reporter Jason Burke cuts through the mass of opinion and misinformation to explain the nature of the threat we now face. Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize, The New Threat offers insight into the rise of ISIS and other groups, such as Boko Haram, which together command significant military power, rule millions, and control extensive territories. Elsewhere, Al Qaeda remains potent and is rapidly evolving. As a new generation of Western extremists emerges―as seen by the horrifying attacks in Paris and Brussels as well as the "lone wolf" operatives in the United States―Burke argues it is imperative that we understand who these groups are and what they actually want.

"In [The New Threat] Jason Burke, one of the best reporters and analysts writing in the West about militant Islam, analyzes all the big questions that surround the rise and fall of al-Qaeda and the emergence of ISIS as well as the profusion of other groups and individuals who are now animated by jihadist ideas. . . . Like all of Burke's books, this one is cogently argued and well written." —Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad