Book description
In the post-September 11 world, Al Qaeda is no longer the central
organizing force that aids or authorizes terrorist attacks or recruits
terrorists. It is now more a source of inspiration for terrorist acts
carried out by independent local groups that have branded themselves
with the Al Qaeda name. Building on his previous groundbreaking work
on the Al Qaeda network, forensic psychiatrist Marc Sageman has
greatly expanded his research to explain how Islamic terrorism emerges
and operates in the twenty-first century.
In Leaderless Jihad, Sageman rejects the views that place
responsibility for terrorism on society or a flawed, predisposed
individual. Instead, he argues, the individual, outside influence, and
group dynamics come together in a four-step process through which
Muslim youth become radicalized. First, traumatic events either
experienced personally or learned about indirectly spark moral
outrage. Individuals interpret this outrage through a specific
ideology, more felt and understood than based on doctrine. Usually in
a chat room or other Internet-based venues, adherents share this moral
outrage, which resonates with the personal experiences of others. The
outrage is acted on by a group, either online or offline.
Leaderless Jihad offers a ray of hope. Drawing on historical
analogies, Sageman argues that the zeal of jihadism is
self-terminating; eventually its followers will turn away from
violence as a means of expressing their discontent. The book concludes
with Sageman's recommendations for the application of his research to
counterterrorism law enforcement efforts.
"Marc Sageman is an extraordinarly thoughtful and creative
analyst of the complex patterns of Islamic radicalization taking place
within our integrated global culture. His work challenges the way we
think about terrorism and and offers important insights about what
should be done to prevent or contain such violence."-Steve Coll,
author of Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan,
and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
Marc Sageman, a forensic psychiatrist, is a government
counterterrorism consultant. He is the author of the bestselling
Understanding Terror Networks, also available from the University of
Pennsylvania Press.
