Dimensions
153 x 234 x 53mm
The primary blame for the failure of the Arab Spring and the rise of Islamic extremism must rest with successive US and UK governments. This is the devastating argument put forward by Middle East expert Christopher M. Davidson who has travelled the world to unearth archived government reports, declassified intelligence, leaked secret documents, and to interview former officials, academics, journalists and activists. His aim: to expose how the West has sought to thwart nationalist, socialist and pro-democracy movements in the Middle East for more than a century.
Shadow Wars reveals how the US used Islamic extremists against the Soviet Union during the Cold War and how even after 9/11 the revenue streams of groups like al-Qaeda were left largely intact as the real targets of the 'War on Terror' were the regimes who stood in the way of Western investment. Most shocking for us today, however, is Davidson's argument that US intelligence agencies and their regional clients regard Islamic State, like al-Qaeda before it, as a strategic but volatile asset to be wielded against their enemies in the region. Alarming, provocative and utterly compelling, Shadow Wars is a book that demands to be read - now.
