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A review by zare_i
ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror by Michael Weiss
3.0
As some reviewers already said this is rather complicated book.
Cause for this is constant reiteration of how Syrian regime is behind the ISIS as organization but then next chapter states that they are chasing and killing them. Also in the first part of the book opposition to both ISIS and Syrian regime is presented as group of tribes and urban militia that are fighting the terrorist network, enjoy support from US and allies and are doing the good fight but in the last few chapters they give statements from witnesses that these militias were pretty significant criminal element in the whole story and were not liked by the local populace at all. They even supported and fought alongside ISIS up to 2014(!?!).
Book is full of these contradictory statements. Nevertheless they do show how a terrifying, fear-sowing terrorist organization that [by their laws and actions] feels like anachronism from Middle Ages and something unfathomable in the modern world can spread over many countries and root itself - to the point where it seems imposible to remove them at all.
What authors do show is complete lack of (or maybe complete disregard of?) understanding of the people in the region (religious sects, tribal organization, internal squabbles) by the US and their allies. Decisions to nevertheless shatter such complex (and lets face it internally divided) society with war and then leave them alone (with famous "it is their internal issue now") in the whole post-war trumoil where internal and external strife (caused by ever present animosity from neighbouring states) only plunges the society into further cycle of violence only show that there are always alterior motives that unfortunately almost always get precedence over common sense in inter-state affairs. Unfortunately this state of affair provides fertile ground to organizations like ISIS to flourish and spread.
Interesting book, with lots of contradictory elements, leaves a lot of questions open. It surely does intrigue the reader to find more materiel on the subject.
Cause for this is constant reiteration of how Syrian regime is behind the ISIS as organization but then next chapter states that they are chasing and killing them. Also in the first part of the book opposition to both ISIS and Syrian regime is presented as group of tribes and urban militia that are fighting the terrorist network, enjoy support from US and allies and are doing the good fight but in the last few chapters they give statements from witnesses that these militias were pretty significant criminal element in the whole story and were not liked by the local populace at all. They even supported and fought alongside ISIS up to 2014(!?!).
Book is full of these contradictory statements. Nevertheless they do show how a terrifying, fear-sowing terrorist organization that [by their laws and actions] feels like anachronism from Middle Ages and something unfathomable in the modern world can spread over many countries and root itself - to the point where it seems imposible to remove them at all.
What authors do show is complete lack of (or maybe complete disregard of?) understanding of the people in the region (religious sects, tribal organization, internal squabbles) by the US and their allies. Decisions to nevertheless shatter such complex (and lets face it internally divided) society with war and then leave them alone (with famous "it is their internal issue now") in the whole post-war trumoil where internal and external strife (caused by ever present animosity from neighbouring states) only plunges the society into further cycle of violence only show that there are always alterior motives that unfortunately almost always get precedence over common sense in inter-state affairs. Unfortunately this state of affair provides fertile ground to organizations like ISIS to flourish and spread.
Interesting book, with lots of contradictory elements, leaves a lot of questions open. It surely does intrigue the reader to find more materiel on the subject.