Fall 2008 - The Johns Hopkins University Press

The Globalization of MartyrdomAl Qaeda, Salafi Jihad, and the Diffusion of Suicide AttacksAssaf MoghadamThis groundbreaking volume examines the rise and spread of suicide attacksover the past decade. Sorting through 1,270 terror strikes between1981 and 2007, Assaf Moghadam attributes their recent proliferation to themutually related ascendance of al Qaeda and its guiding ideology, Salafi jihad,an extreme interpretation of Islam that rejects national boundaries and seeksto create a global Muslim community.In exploring the roots of the extreme radicalization represented by Salafism,Moghadam finds many causes, including Western dominance in the Arabworld, the physical diffusion of Salafi institutions and actors, and the elementof opportunity created by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He uses individualexamples from the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and Europe to showhow the elite leaders of al Qaeda and affiliated groups and their foot soldiersinteract with one another and how they garner support—and a growing numberof converts and attackers—from the Muslim community. Based on overa decade of empirical research and a critical examination of existing thoughton suicide attacks, Moghadam distinguishes the key characteristics separatingglobalized suicide strikes from the traditional, localized pattern that previouslyprevailed.This unflinching analysis provides new information about the relationshipbetween ideology and suicide attacks and recommends policies focused oncontaining Salafi jihadism.“This is an authoritative and updated study on suicide attacks that is better than any otherresearch published in the field. Moghadam offers a clear conceptualization of a complicatedphenomenon and a fascinating historical background of the various manifestationsof suicide in political contexts.”—Ami Pedahzur, University of Texas, AustinAssaf MoghadAm is a Senior Research Fellow at the Combating TerrorismCenter at West Point and a postdoctoral fellow at the International SecurityProgram/Initiative on Religion in International Affairs at Harvard University’sBelfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He is the author of TheRoots of Terrorism.December 384 pages 6 x 93 halftones, 10 line drawings978-0-8018-9055-0 0-8018-9055-1$45.00(s) / £24.00 hcCurrent AffairsTHE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS 1-800-537-5487 31