The Master Plan cover art

The Master Plan

ISIS, al-Qaeda, and the Jihadi Strategy for Final Victory

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The Master Plan

By: Brian Fishman
Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
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About this listen

Given how quickly its operations have achieved global impact, it may seem that the Islamic State materialized suddenly. In fact, al-Qaeda's operations chief, Sayf al-Adl, devised a seven-stage plan for jihadis to conquer the world by 2020 that included reestablishing the Caliphate in Syria between 2013 and 2016. Despite a massive schism between the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, al-Adl's plan has proved remarkably prescient. In summer 2014, ISIS declared itself the Caliphate after capturing Mosul, Iraq - part of stage five in al-Adl's plan. Drawing on large troves of recently declassified documents captured from the Islamic State and its predecessors, counterterrorism expert Brian Fishman tells the story of this organization's complex and largely hidden past - and what the master plan suggests about its future. Only by understanding the Islamic State's full history - and the strategy that drove it - can we understand the contradictions that may ultimately tear it apart.

©2016 Brian H. Fishman (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc. 21st Century Freedom & Security Middle East Military Modern Politics & Government War & Crisis World Iran War Africa Royalty Ottoman Empire Civil War Imperialism Refugee Middle Ages

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Most relevant
maybe I have been spoilt by listening to "the looming tower" first, which was excellent. the narrative and delivery were much more accessible. the master plan uses a lot of complex acronyms and names repeatedly which becomes slightly wearing after a while.

in fairness I might come back to it after managing half of the book before skipping to something else.

hard work

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