The above header was created for me by the cartoonist, Abdul Arts (see cartoon below), a Somali refugee in Egypt. He knows something about the topic of this blog as his brother, the spokesman for the mayor of Mogadishu, was blown up by extremists in late December.

In fall 2007, I started working for the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies, a think tank founded by Afghans based in Kabul, Afghanistan, to build Afghan policy research expertise.

In 2006 Palgrave published a book I cowrote, "Jihad and International Security," with Jalil Roshandel.

Now I'm watching what I see to be the last gasp of a nonviable movement: militant, insurgent jihadism. This movement has killed many more Muslims than polytheists, infidels, or non-Muslims. It has also done more to damage the image of Islam than any other force in 1400 years of Islamic history.

"Prior to 9/11, who in the modern West ever worried about Islam? The jihadists have succeeded in casting suspicion on an entire religion, a substantial percentage of the world’s population, and centuries of Islamic history, in addition to all the widows and orphans they have created.

"It is unfortunate that Muslims who don’t terrorize people can’t command headlines. But that’s the way the media operates, if it bleeds it leads."

Me, Sharon Chadha, in an interview by Pooja at Instablogs.

Sharon.Chadha@gmail.com

The authors of this welcome volume ask the hard questions about the ideology motivating global jihadists; they also provide some balanced and sensible policy recommendations. Both for its overview and its practicality, this book will stand apart from others. It deserves a wide readership, not just in government circles, but for all those concerned to understand how the war on terror is to be fought and won.

Jalil Roshandel and Sharon Chadha have written the definitive account of Jihadism. With clarity, breadth, and depth, they delve into the men, money, and ideas which support this lethal phenomenon in the Middle East and around the world. Jihad and International Security should be a must-read for policymakers, journalists, and anyone wanting to understand the roots, ideology, and tactics of what is today perhaps the West's greatest challenge.

In a spare and focused analysis, Roshandel and Chadha explain the where-what-how-and-who of jihad, the concept that inspires Islamist violence. They convincingly trace its intellectual origins and survey its current manifestations, and conclude with smart insights for countering this worldwide scourge.

Roshandel and Chadha have written a tough, hard nosed primer on al Qaeda and the global jihad movement. They provide a basic introduction to the network's history, actions, tactics, organization, and financing, as well as the methods that have been used to fight it. They also review al Qaeda's statements, ideology, philosophy, and interpretation of Islam.