Islamic State: The Digital Caliphate (epub)

Review
"Based on visits to the Turkish-Syrian border, online interviews with jihadists, and the access to leaders he enjoys as one of the Arab world’s most respected journalists, Atwan draws a convincing picture of the Islamic State as a well-run organization that combines bureaucratic efficiency and military expertise with a sophisticated use of information technology."
(Malise Ruthven New York Review of Books 2015-07-09)

"Deeply researched . . . Atwan provides a thorough overview of the group's structure, philosophy, and recruitment methods—particularly its digital media savvy. . . . Few readers of this painful, lucid account will quarrel with Atwan's assertions that Western ignorance, hypocrisy, and self-interest contributed to the rise of ISIS, and that there is little sign of Western leaders growing any wiser."
(Publishers Weekly 2015-09-11)
From the Inside Flap
"Abdel Bari Atwan is one of the leading analysts in the world on the modern Middle East. In his new book on ISIS he delivers a uniquely informed, crisply argued, and excellent account of the world's most powerful terrorist organization."—Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad

"This is a brave and important book. It lifts the lid on how Islamic State combines an ideology of 1,000 years ago with the use of twenty-first-century information technology to spread its messages. If you want to understand what motivates those prepared to behead hostages and post the results on the internet, then this book is a must-read."—Gavin Esler, award-winning BBC presenter and author

"Atwan ‘got it’ from the moment bin Laden appeared on the scene."—Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA bin Laden "Alec" unit
About the Author
Abdel Bari Atwan is a Palestinian writer and journalist. He was the editor in chief at the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi for twenty-five years and now edits the Rai al-Youm news website—the Arab world's first Huffington Post–style outlet. He is a regular contributor to a number of publications, including the Guardian and the Scottish Herald, and he is a frequent guest on radio and television, often appearing on the BBC's Dateline London.

Atwan interviewed Osama bin Laden twice in the late 1990s and has cultivated uniquely well-placed sources within the various branches of al Qaeda and other jihadi groups, including IS, over the last twenty years. His books include The Secret History of al Qaeda and After bin Laden: Al Qaeda, the Next Generation, as well as a memoir, A Country of Words: A Palestinian Journey from the Refugee Camp to the Front Page.