Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto

The book is at its best in the historical narrative sections, which are peppered with quotations from insiders whom the author has interviewed in person... For economists and political scientists, the book's main focus on financial and/or power incentives of various parties is a welcome application of rational choice theory in policy and cultural debates about the problem of militant Islamism. It accomplishes this task well.

• Preface Chapter 1: Mosques and MarketsChapter 2: Black Flags in the Bazaar: The Making of Modern Islamist Proto-StatesChapter 3: Mafia and Mujahideen: Trafficking and Trust-Building under Soviet OccupationChapter 4: Traders and Taliban: Business Interests and Islamist Power in AfghanistanChapter 5: Beards for Business: The Origins and Evolution of the Mogadishu MafiaChapter 6: The Price of Protection: The Rise of the Islamic Courts UnionChapter 7: The Blowback Effect: International Intervention and the Collapse of the Proto-State Chapter 8: The Proto-State Goes Global: Criminal Business Networks and Jihadist Power across the Muslim World Appendix: Methodology and Field Research

Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto

The book is at its best in the historical narrative sections, which are peppered with quotations from insiders whom the author has interviewed in person... For economists and political scientists, the book's main focus on financial and/or power incentives of various parties is a welcome application of rational choice theory in policy and cultural debates about the problem of militant Islamism. It accomplishes this task well.

• Preface Chapter 1: Mosques and MarketsChapter 2: Black Flags in the Bazaar: The Making of Modern Islamist Proto-StatesChapter 3: Mafia and Mujahideen: Trafficking and Trust-Building under Soviet OccupationChapter 4: Traders and Taliban: Business Interests and Islamist Power in AfghanistanChapter 5: Beards for Business: The Origins and Evolution of the Mogadishu MafiaChapter 6: The Price of Protection: The Rise of the Islamic Courts UnionChapter 7: The Blowback Effect: International Intervention and the Collapse of the Proto-State Chapter 8: The Proto-State Goes Global: Criminal Business Networks and Jihadist Power across the Muslim World Appendix: Methodology and Field Research

Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto

The book is at its best in the historical narrative sections, which are peppered with quotations from insiders whom the author has interviewed in person... For economists and political scientists, the book's main focus on financial and/or power incentives of various parties is a welcome application of rational choice theory in policy and cultural debates about the problem of militant Islamism. It accomplishes this task well.

• Preface Chapter 1: Mosques and MarketsChapter 2: Black Flags in the Bazaar: The Making of Modern Islamist Proto-StatesChapter 3: Mafia and Mujahideen: Trafficking and Trust-Building under Soviet OccupationChapter 4: Traders and Taliban: Business Interests and Islamist Power in AfghanistanChapter 5: Beards for Business: The Origins and Evolution of the Mogadishu MafiaChapter 6: The Price of Protection: The Rise of the Islamic Courts UnionChapter 7: The Blowback Effect: International Intervention and the Collapse of the Proto-State Chapter 8: The Proto-State Goes Global: Criminal Business Networks and Jihadist Power across the Muslim World Appendix: Methodology and Field Research