The Mind of the Islamic State

So often in history, it is ideas that kill . . .

What are the ideas that drive the Islamic State? How did it develop its unique form of apocalyptic violence?

In this gripping account, Robert Manne traces how the Islamic State's worldview evolved, from the 1960s prison writings of Sayyid Qutb all the way to its glossy online magazine of horror, Dabiq. He reveals the crucial role of texts such as The Management of Savagery, and figures such as al-Zarqawi, who set out to pit Sunni against Shia, thus tearing Iraq apart.

Shortly after the fall of Mosul in June 2014, US General Michael Nagata commented on the struggle against the Islamic State- 'We have not defeated the idea. We do not even understand the idea.'

By examining the beliefs and strategies at the heart of the Islamic State, Manne shows the spiral into terror and brutality as a dark ideology came into being.