John Turner is an Independent Scholar, USA, and his research focuses on Jihadism, political Islam and the international relations of the Middle East. He has published in academic and policy-focused journals including Middle East Policy.

• Introduction 1. Prominent Debates on the the Proliferation of Salafi Jihadism 2. Historical and Ideological Challenges 3. The Islamic State 4. An Islamic Paradigm of International Relations 5. The Struggle for Unity and Legitimacy in the Imperial Age 6. The Struggle for Order in the 20th Century 7. The Rise of Salafi Jihadism and the Al-Qaeda Ideology 8. Glocalisation: al-Qaeda and its Constituents 9. The International System and Salafi Jihadist Resistance Conclusions