Actual statements and writings of jihadis expressing their views on virtually every subject relevant to their cause, with introductory and contextual material that provides the background and origins of what they are saying. The stories, rationales, ideas, and arguments of jihadi terrorists and those who support them should provide greater insights into their motives and plans, as well as the nature of the threat they pose

Introduction
In the 20th century, the West confronted three totalitarian revolutionary movements: nazism, communism, and fascism. Now the world is under assault from a fourth such movement whose members operate under many labels—Islamic terrorists or extremists, Salafi militants, Islamo-Fascists, and jihadis, to name a few. In this book, I use the term jihadi, because the movement is focused on carrying out “holy war,” which is one of the meanings of jihad.

The four movements share an important characteristic: Their adherents go to great lengths to explain what they stand for and what they intend to do. Nazism followed the course laid out in Hitler’s Mein Kampf; the Bolsheviks pursued the dreams of Marx and Engels and the plans of Lenin; fascism was fed by more than a decade of editorials by Benito Mussolini in his newspaper Il Popolo d’Italia (“The People of Italy”) before he came to power. Interestingly, the societies targeted by these movements paid little heed to their murderous blueprints until late in the movements’ development.

Before 9/11, the jihadis, who avowedly seek the destruction of Western democracy and the conversion of the world to their concept of Islam, were also given scant attention, although they had widely broadcast their intentions and had carried out numerous terrorist acts. Since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., jihadis have redoubled their outreach efforts, increasingly exploiting the Internet to propagate their vision of the world, their interpretation of Islam, their version of the history of the Middle East, their grievances, their rationale for terror, their strategy, and even their tactics.

It can be argued that jihadism is more difficult for Americans to fathom than the earlier totalitarian movements, which originated in Europe, because jihad comes out of a culture largely unfamiliar to us and does not speak with a single voice. To bridge this gap in understanding, much has been written by analysts of the jihadi movement.

This book takes a different approach, offering the actual words of the jihadis so that the reader can get closer to their thinking and mindset. It creates, in effect, a self-portrait of jihadism. Instead of describing what jihadis stand for, it presents their own descriptions. I have attempted to include as little editorial comment as possible, using it only to draw attention to the key points and put the material in context. This asks a bit more of the reader, but the unfiltered impact of the jihadi statements may lead to deeper and more powerful insights. ...

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Paperback: 348 pages
Publisher: RAND Corporation (May 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0833044028
ISBN-13: 978-0833044020

About the Author
Ambassador David Aaron is Director of the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation. He has served in both the government and the private sector.

After graduation from Occidental College and Princeton University, he entered the Foreign Service, where he held a variety of posts, which included serving on the U.S. delegation to NATO and to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with the Soviet Union. After leaving the Foreign Service, he remained in government, where his posts included the National Security Council staff, where he was responsible for arms control and strategic doctrine.

Subsequently, he became a Task Force Director for the Senate Intelligence Committee and then Deputy National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter. In the latter capacity, he chaired sub-Cabinet committees dealing with arms control and intelligence. He also served as a confidential presidential emissary to Europe, where he negotiated the deployment of medium-range missiles; to the Middle East, where he helped prepare for the Camp David negotiations; and to Africa, Latin America, and China.

Upon leaving government, Ambassador Aaron became Vice President for Mergers and Acquisitions at Oppenheimer & Co. and Vice Chairman of the board of Oppenheimer International.

During the Clinton administration, he served as Ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, where he negotiated the international anti-bribery convention. At the same time, he was appointed Special White House Envoy for Cryptography to develop international guidelines for encryption technology in trade and communications. Subsequently, he was appointed Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade, where he negotiated the US/ EU privacy accord.

After leaving government in 2000, he became Senior International Advisor to the law firm Dorsey LLP, where he remained until his appointment as a Senior Fellow at RAND. He is the author of three novels published in ten languages, as well as two PBS documentaries, including “Lessons of the 1991 Gulf War.”

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