BookTalk: Jihadism Constrained

About the Event

One of the nation’s leading specialists on jihadism, Barak Mendelsohn takes an unconventional approach to the subject in his new book, arguing that while jihadi terrorism is a serious challenge, the threat it poses should not be exaggerated. Transational jihadism, as represented by groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS, faces it own internal constraints, particularly because most of the world’s peoples, including most of the Islamic world’s peoples, possess national identities that are even stronger than religious identities. Added to that is frequent infighting over strategy and tactics.  In other words, transnational movements are far less unified than they may appear.  Mendelsohn will offer a sophisticated analysis of the terrorist threat and the implications for US counterterrorism policies.

Mendelsohn is also author of The Al-Qaeda Franchise: The Expansion of al-Qaeda and Its Consequences (Oxford University Press, 2016) and Combating Jihadism: American Hegemony and International Cooperation in the War on Terrorism (University of Chicago Press, 2009).  He received his PhD in Government from Cornell University.

This latest book by Barak Mendelson is the capstone of FPRI’s project on After the Caliphate; be sure to see the companion publication, the Summer 2018 edition of Orbis, coedited by Tally and Sam Helfont.

Registration

• This talk is free and open to the public.
• Lunch following is exclusively for FPRI  members at  the $500 level and above.
• Reservations are required. Click here to register.

Speakers