Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Acknowledgments ix
4. Introduction: Down the Rabbit Hole and into the History of ISIS 1
5. 1. The World According to ISIS 23
6. 2. Where ISIS Came From: Zarqawi to Baghdadi 50
7. 3. How Broken Iraqi Politics Fueled the Revival of ISIS 98
8. 4. Baghdadi’s Evolution: From Invisible to Infamous 129
9. 5. Baathists and ISIS Jihadists: Who Converted Whom? 144
10. 6. How the Syrian War Empowered ISIS 170
11. 7. Misappropriating the Arab Spring Uprisings 202
12. 8. ISIS versus Al Qaeda: Redefining Jihad and the Transition from the Global to the Local 222
13. Conclusion: The Future of ISIS 260
14. Notes 295
15. Index 353