Alan Richards

Socio-economic Roots of Radicalism? Towards Explaining the Appeal of Islamic Radicals Alan Richards

The September 11 attacks against U. S. targets came as a frightening shock to most Americans who had never previously heard of Osama Bin Laden or the virulent radicalism associated with his al Qaeda network. In the tumultuous aftermath of the attacks, many Americans grasped for explanations as to why these events occurred and what was to be done about them. Closely-related queries were why Islamic radicals enjoy a significant amount of popular sympathy within the Muslim World, and how this trend can be reversed. This monograph, by Dr. Alan Richards, addresses the critical questions involved in understanding and coping with the roots of Islamic radicalism. His work closely examines the links between radicalism and a series of crises associated with modernization in the Islamic World. The result is a thoughtful and probing study including policy recommendations for U. S. military and civilian decisionmakers that makes intelligible the complex subject of Islamic radicalism.