ISIS: State of Terror

In 2014, ISIS shocked the world with their brutality and the speed with which they took a large swath of Iraqi and Syrian territory. One year later, most countries, including the United States, are still trying to figure out what is driving this group and how best they can be defeated. J.M. Berger, an investigative journalist and non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution's Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, brings a uniquely qualified perspective to the analysis of the challenges posed by ISIS's rise. In ISIS: State of Terror, Berger and Jessica Stern, a lecturer on terrorism at Harvard University, draw upon intelligence sources, law enforcement officials, and their own groundbreaking research to explain the genesis, evolution, and implications of the Islamic State-and how we can fight it. The authors analyze the tools ISIS fighters use both to frighten innocent citizens and lure new soldiers-including the "ghoulish pornography" of their pro-jihadi videos, the seductive appeal of "jihadic chic," and its startlingly effective social media expertise. Featuring J.M. Berger, Non-Resident Fellow, Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, Brookings Institution, Co-Author, ISIS: The State of Terror; Douglas Ollivant, ASU Future of War Senior Fellow, New America, Managing Partner and Senior Vice President for Strategy, Mantid International; Tara Maller, Research Fellow, International Security Program, New America, Associate Director for Strategic Communications, Franklin Project, the Aspen Institute; Peter Bergen, Director, International Security Program, New America.