Overview

"Get an Expert Account of the Rise of Radical Islam after 9/11 From 2003 to 2008, Steven Stalinsky penned a weekly column for The New York Sun covering the post-9/11 world. His column captured an important era from which emerged the War on Terror. 180 Weeks in the War on Terror is the complete collection of writings, including historic milestones and events during this period. One of the first writers post-9/11 to show how Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations relied on the Internet, Stalinsky: Uses original analysis and translations from the archives of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) Sheds light on Middle East issues and terrorism at that time, years before they were widely understood and discussed Details terrorist organizations' methods of disseminating propaganda The column had an international impact. Stalinsky's writings were referenced by prominent figures and media, used in Congressional hearings and Capitol Hill briefings, and cited in official U.S., Canadian, U.K. and U.N. documents and reports. His articles on and translations of support for jihad, martyrdom operations, and terrorist organizations stirred direct public responses from those exposed, including Saudi royal family members, a leading London-based Arabic-language newspaper editor with close ties to Osama bin Laden, and the top cleric of Egypt's influential and revered Al-Azhar mosque. On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, don't miss an important contribution to understanding this period of history. ""Vivid, insightful analysis from a leading terrorist propaganda expert who models incisive thinking and explains the Global War on Terror. A riveting, important record of a key period of American national security history."" - Ambassador Alberto M. Fernandez, MEMRI Vice President, former President of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, former Head of the State Department's Coordinator for the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications ""Timely release on the 20th anniversary of tragic 9/11, ironically as the U.S. exits from Afghanistan, the backdrop of Al Qaeda and events highlighted in this collection. This earlier retrospective details Middle East issues and terrorism dynamics, highlighting the innocence once ours. Evocative, haunting collection reminds us how vulnerable we were then and continue to be now. Essential primer for the serious reader to understand daily events and how we got here."" - Gisele Eben ""Important for understanding the thinking and atmosphere after 9/11. 20 years later, it's fascinating to compare the writing to subsequent developments, including how prescient the columns often were."" - S. Smith ""Takes us back to the days after 9/11 as policymakers grappled with how to approach a world that changed in a single moment. For anyone to understand the last 20 years and make future decisions on geopolitical issues."" - R. Abraham"

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9781734428322

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A vivid collection of insightful analysis and commentary from a leading expert on terrorist propaganda. Steve Stalinsky's five years of columns for the sadly defunct New York Sun were a model of incisive thinking and explaining on the Global War on Terror as it developed. This is not only riveting content but an important record of a key period of American national security history. - Ambassador Alberto M. Fernandez, MEMRI Vice President, former President of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and former Head of the State Department's Coordinator for the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications

Kirkus: A collection of newspaper columns written in the wake of the 9/11 attacks examines the war on terror and the political troubles of the Arab world. Stalinsky meticulously chronicled the war on terror that followed the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks in a weekly column for the New York Sun. This book is an assemblage of those columns from 2004 to 2007, an eclectic mix that covers a broad spectrum of topics of a political and cultural tincture. The author particularly focuses on the extent to which ideological extremism pervaded the Middle East, not only on the fanatical periphery of Arab life, but also within its core political and journalistic institutions. For example, Stalinsky doggedly documents seething antisemitism in news programs on Arab and Iranian television and the incitements to prejudice and violence espoused on Al Jazeera, often considered a neutral news outlet in the Western world. In addition, the author examines the prevalence of virulently hateful conspiracy theories throughout the Middle East as well as the ways in which Arab political reformers heroically attempted to debunk them. Many of those theories revolved around the 9/11 attacks, the event that forms the thematic core of this volume: As each year passes following the attacks of September 11, 2001, conspiracy theories surrounding that day continue to appear on Arab and Iranian TV. While it will be commemorated as a solemn day in America as in much of the world, unfortunately, in the Middle East, it will be continued to be blamed on others. Stalinsky's reports are lucidly written and tautly argued, and he provides an important peek into a world awash in a dangerous combination of misinformation and discriminatory contempt. But since the columns weren't originally composed to be presented as a journalistic whole, they finally become quite repetitive. Moreover, given the profound failures of the war on terror initiated during the George W. Bush administration, the author's support for it seems at best dated, if not deeply myopic. Still, this remains an astute collection of cultural analyses and an intriguing look back into the still fresh past. San Francisco Book Review: Given that it is comprised of a series of weekly columns, it is no surprise that the text of the book is rather fragmented, switching from topic to topic based on what had occurred worldwide concerning terrorism, extremism, and related policy during the preceding week. The majority of columns are only two pages in length, providing a whistle-stop overview of a particular issue or aspect . . . Published to mark the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, 180 Weeks in the War on Terror is a unique trove of journalism and analysis dedicated to elucidating the pernicious spread of extremism. Stalinsky was among the first to chronicle the War on Terror and assess jihadi use of the internet for recruitment and propaganda, and various issues he raised are now common subjects of discussion. Reading the columns from the vantage point of 2021, it is also interesting to note how often Stalinsky's sidenotes and asides pointed to issues that would later assume significance, for example, his brief mention of Jamal Khashoggi being fired for publishing anti-Wahhabism articles.

Author Information

Steven Stalinsky is the executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a leading bipartisan nonprofit think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., dedicated to assisting government, military, media, and academia in exposing, documenting and fighting Islamic extremism and antisemitism. Mr. Stalinsky's expertise is sought throughout Washington, D.C., where he has briefed staff of the White House, State Department, Homeland Security, Justice Department, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Defense Department, Congress, and other institutions. He is the author of American Traitor: The Rise And Fall of Al-Qaeda's U.S.-Born Leader Adam Gadahn, and his research has been published in leading media worldwide, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, Forbes, National Review and other publications.

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