The Master Plan, Brian Fishman
The Master Plan, Brian Fishman
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The Master Plan
ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Jihadi Strategy for Final Victory

Author: Brian Fishman

Narrator: Stephen R. Thorne

Unabridged: 11 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/22/2016


Synopsis

Given how quickly its operations have achieved global impact, it may seem that the Islamic State materialized suddenly. In fact, al-Qaeda’s operations chief, Sayf al-Adl, devised a seven-stage plan for jihadis to conquer the world by 2020 that included reestablishing the Caliphate in Syria between 2013 and 2016. Despite a massive schism between the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, al-Adl’s plan has proved remarkably prescient. In summer 2014, ISIS declared itself the Caliphate after capturing Mosul, Iraq—part of stage five in al-Adl’s plan. Drawing on large troves of recently declassified documents captured from the Islamic State and its predecessors, counterterrorism expert Brian Fishman tells the story of this organization’s complex and largely hidden past—and what the master plan suggests about its future. Only by understanding the Islamic State’s full history—and the strategy that drove it—can we understand the contradictions that may ultimately tear it apart.

About Brian Fishman

Brian Fishman is a counterterrorism research fellow with the International Security Program at New America. He is the former research director at the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point, where he taught the country’s first dedicated course on the Islamic State of Iraq. He lives in Menlo Park, California.

About Stephen R. Thorne

Stephen R. Thorne, winner of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration, is a professional actor and member of the resident acting company at Providence’s esteemed Trinity Repertory Company, where he has played Hamlet, Henry V, and Tom Joad.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Osama on May 01, 2024

كتاب صادر من جامعة ييل من تاليف براين فيشمان. يتناول فيه بالتفصيل الدقيق جذور ونشأة وتطور وانهيار الحركات المتطرفة خلال العقود الماضية.......more

Goodreads review by Malcolm on December 14, 2017

This is an interesting book. It speaks to the history of one of the most violent and potent terrorist groups of our age, and in doing so presents some incredibly important observations for anyone considering IS-related policy moving forward. Of course, it has its flaws. The centrality of the ‘master......more


Quotes

“A sage assessment showing how IS world domination could never come to pass because it has alienated too many Muslims worldwide.” Kirkus Reviews

“With original and powerful analysis, The Master Plan should be required reading for anyone attempting to understand both ISIS and al-Qaeda and the implications for contemporary global security.” Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University

“The definitive history of the Islamic State—told by one of a handful of experts who studied the group long before it became what it is today.” Peter Neumann, King’s College London

“The United States and its allies have failed to understand the ideological drive of the people who lead ISIS…Fishman tells us who they are, what they think, and where they hope to be headed.” General John P. Abizaid, US Army (Ret.), former commander, US Central Command