Islamist Networks: The Afghan-Pakistan Connection (The CERI Series in Comparative Politics and International Studies) - Softcover

Abou Zahab, Mariam; Roy, Olivier

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0231133650 ISBN 13: 9780231133654

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 2006

Synopsis

Al Qaida was unable to realize its lethal potential until it found sanctuary in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden fled after being expelled from Sudan. But why was the network's sanctuary not attacked before September 2001, especially after the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998? Abou Zahab and Roy argue that the Taliban was part of a much wider radical Islamist network in the region, whose true center was Pakistan, not Afghanistan. Al Qaida, the Taliban, the Pakistani Deobandis―all of these groups are based in Pakistan, which continues to serve as the regional hub for Islamist movements and their terrorist offshoots.

This indispensable book investigates and explains the almost twenty-five-year gestation of these interlinked radical Islamist networks of Pakistan, Central Asia, and Afghanistan, out of which Al Qaida emerged. Taking into account the networks'divergent histories and doctrinal rifts, the authors lay bare the political contingencies that enabled these disparate Islamist movements to coordinate with the aim of attacking what became their common adversary: the United States.

About this title

Book Description:

Al-Qaeda was unable to realize its lethal potential until it found sanctuary in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden fled after being expelled from Sudan. But why wasn't Al-Qaeda attacked before September 2001? Mariam Abou Zahab and Olivier Roy argue that the Taliban in Afghanistan was part of a much wider radical Islamist network in the region, whose true center was Pakistan. Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Pakistani Deobandis-all of these groups are based in Pakistan, which continues to serve as the regional hub for Islamist movements and their terrorist offshoots.

In this critically acclaimed book, Abou Zahab and Roy investigate the almost twenty-five-year gestation of these interlinked radical Islamist networks of Pakistan, Central Asia, and Afghanistan. Taking into account the networks' divergent histories and doctrinal rifts, Abou Zahab and Roy lay bare the political contingencies that enabled these disparate Islamist movements to coordinate with the aim of attacking what would become their common adversary: the United States.

About the Author:

Mariam Abou Zahab is a researcher affiliated with the Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI) and a lecturer at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), both in Paris. Olivier Roy is a world authority on Islam and politics. His books include Globalized Islam (Columbia University Press) and The Failure of Political Islam.

About this edition

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0231133650
• ISBN 13: 9780231133654
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 92