Richard Cockett
Where Will It End?
ISIS: A History
By Fawaz A Gerges
Princeton University Press 368pp £19.95
Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS
By Joby Warrick
Corgi Books 473pp £8.99
Blood Year: Islamic State and the Failures of the War on Terror
By David Kilcullen
Hurst 288pp £9.99
Despite its inordinate length, the very long-awaited Chilcot Inquiry into Britain’s role in the invasion of Iraq, due to be published on 6 July 2016, probably won’t deal with the rise of the terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). If it were to, however, it would conclude that the spread of ISIS was in part provoked by the chaos, instability and civil wars that ensued in Iraq and beyond after the toppling of Saddam Hussein. This was clearly Britain and America’s fault, the consequence of political arrogance and grossly inadequate planning for the postwar period, whatever Tony Blair might say to the contrary after the report’s release.
But even if we created the ‘fertile ground’ in which ISIS could ‘implant, expand, and consolidate itself’, the origins of the movement are to be found in the failures of modern Arab states to govern their citizens properly, according to Fawaz Gerges, professor in contemporary Middle East studies at the
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Knowledge of Sufism increased markedly with the publication in 1964 of The Sufis, by Idries Shah. Nowadays his writings, much like his father’s, are dismissed for their Orientalism and inaccuracy.
@fitzmorrissey investigates who the Shahs really were.
Fitzroy Morrissey - Sufism Goes West
Fitzroy Morrissey: Sufism Goes West - Empire’s Son, Empire’s Orphan: The Fantastical Lives of Ikbal and Idries Shah by Nile Green
literaryreview.co.uk
Rats have plagued cities for centuries. But in Baltimore, researchers alighted on one surprising solution to the problem of rat infestation: more rats.
@WillWiles looks at what lessons can be learned from rat ecosystems – for both rats and humans.
Will Wiles - Puss Gets the Boot
Will Wiles: Puss Gets the Boot - Rat City: Overcrowding and Urban Derangement in the Rodent Universes of John B ...
literaryreview.co.uk
Twisters features destructive tempests and blockbuster action sequences.
@JonathanRomney asks what the real danger is in Lee Isaac Chung's disaster movie.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/eyes-of-the-storm