The Rise of the Jihadist Movement

Abstract

This article is a response to the a-historical analyses in the mainstream media and academia, which often analyze and present jihadist movements, in particular the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, as actors that are driven merely by ideology, irrationality and vengeance. It is also a response to a number of analyses on the left, which establish an automatic relationship between imperialism and the ongoing conflict with the jihadist groups as its protagonists in the Middle East. The article, in an attempt to avoid the excessive generality of the latter, argues that the emergence and increasing influence of jihadist movements should be located in two historical processes: 1) a series of colonial and imperialist interventions, which go back to the early twentieth century; 2) the failure of the Arab uprisings of 2011 and 2012, which created political vacuum that would be filled by jihadist actors. It also argues that the current conflict marks a shift towards a new paradigm of violent conflict.

Keywords: Jihadism, Salafism, Wahhabism, the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, world orders.