Fascinating, terrifying, and highly insightful, a superb account of the rise and fall of ISIS by a writer who is both a roving war reporter who has visited and observed all over the region and an acute and shrewd analyst of war and power in the Middle East. Excellent. Essential reading.Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem: The Biography.
This book, based on four years of on-the-ground reporting, research in ten countries in the Middle East, a thousand hours of interviews with key players and access to generals, spies, policymakers, soldiers and refugees, is the first comprehensive look at the defeat of ISIS and the future reshaping of the Middle East. It provides a unique window into the battle for the heart and soul of the Muslim world and lays out why we need to be informed about changes on the ground after the defeat of ISIS. More than seventy countries are members of the international coalition formed in 2014 to defeat Islamic State (ISIS). After ISIS provides a sobering blueprint for how the US and regional powers will re-shape the region in years to come. Understanding these events and the choices ahead will determine if ISIS and similar ideologies reemerge, whether a new war between the US, its allies and Iran comes in the wake of ISIS, or if a younger generation of leaders can carve out a new Middle East. As ISIS recedes, the world is at a unique historic crossroads in the Middle East. Decisions made now in the region and in Washington matter more than ever. Tehran and the US are increasingly on a collision course to struggle over the vacuum left behind by ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
More praise for After Isis: "Nothing moves Frantzman more than his personal witness of the horrific genocide that ISIS perpetrated on the Yazidi people in and around Sinjar in 2014. He arrived in the region very shortly after the slaughter." - Israel HaYom
"This book is a must-read for policy-makers and everyone interested in the rise and defeat of ISIS and what happens next. A seasoned Middle East war reporter, Seth Frantzman has traveled to many of the places he writes about and met the protagonists. His unique insights help us understand the global jihadist phenomenon, its wider consequences and how to deal with it."- Colonel Richard Kemp CBE, Former Head of International Terrorism Intelligence, UK Cabinet Office.
"A panoramic, fascinating account of how the ISIS Caliphate emerged, rose up and was destroyed. After ISIS combines a cogent analysis of the Islamic State phenomenon, with a compassionate empathy for those caught up in the terrible suffering wrought by this organization.- Jonathan Spyer, journalist and Middle East analyst; author of Days of the Fall: A Reporter s Journey in the Syria and Iraq Wars. /i>
"A man of conviction whose work is so important and his reports on Mosul will always be considered when we review the history of what happened."- Mohammed Omar, founder, Mosul Eye
"Often lost in the coverage of ISIS s barbarity were the victims. Seth Frantzman provides a chilling on-the-ground account of the people who suffered at the hands of the militant group and paints a terrifying picture of just how close the modern Middle East came to being wiped off the map."- Conor M. Powell, veteran foreign correspondent.
"In After ISIS, Seth Frantzman has masterfully combined field reporting with high-quality analysis. This book is a unique contribution from one of the most authoritative voices in the field."-Sirwan Kajjo, Kurdish affairs.
Seth J. Frantzman was born in Maine. He holds a BA from the University of Arizona and a PhD from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of 'After ISIS: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East (Gefen Publishing)' He is a writer for Defense News, the Oped Editor and Middle East affairs analyst at The Jerusalem Post and a contributor to The National Interest. He has covered the war against Islamic State, three Gaza wars, the conflict in Ukraine, the refugee crises in Eastern Europe and also reported from Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Senegal, the UAE, Ukraine and Russia. He received his Ph.D from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2010 and lectured in American Studies at Al-Quds University from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as a research associate at the Rubin Center for Research in International Affairs at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. Currently he is the Executive Director of The Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis and a Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum. Frantzman has conducted research and worked for the JDC, The Shalem Center, the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies and as a Post-Doctoral at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was a Congressional intern for Congressman Jim Kolbe while studying at The University of Arizona. He was a contributor to the Digest of Middle East Studies. His current interests include regional security, Israel-Palestinian and Kurdish issues, refugees, the history of the Holy Land, the Beduin and land laws. As a features writer and commentator on current affairs and politics he attempts to provide new views on old canards, reflected in his column's name, Terra Incognita. He recently completed a book on the war against ISIS. He is an avid photographer and learning video editing.
