Black Flags Book Summary

'Black Flags' by Joby Warrick explores the rise of ISIS, unveiling the complex interplay of politics, religion, and terror that shaped this formidable group. Through gripping narratives and in-depth research, Warrick reveals the lives of key figures who fueled its ascent and the global response to its brutality. This compelling account goes beyond the headlines, offering a window into the motivations and ideologies of those involved. As secrets unravel and alliances shift, readers are drawn into a world where power and fear collide. Discover the unexpected truths behind the black flags that once waved ominously over the battlegrounds of the Middle East.

By Joby Warrick

Published: 2016

"Terrorism is not born in a vacuum; it thrives in the shadows of negligence, where ideologies blossom and the disenfranchised seek solace."

Book Review of Black Flags

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • In a thrilling dramatic narrative, the award-winning reporter traces how the strain of militant Islam behind ISIS first arose in a remote Jordanian prison and spread with the unwitting aid of two American presidents. With a new Afterword Drawing on unique high-level access to CIA and Jordanian sources, Warrick weaves gripping, moment-by-moment operational details with the perspectives of diplomats and spies, generals and heads of state, many of whom foresaw a menace worse than al Qaeda and tried desperately to stop it. Black Flags is a brilliant and definitive history that reveals the long arc of today’s most dangerous extremist threat.

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Terrorism is not born in a vacuum; it thrives in the shadows of negligence, where ideologies blossom and the disenfranchised seek solace.

Black Flags

By Joby Warrick