by Peter R Neumann (IB Tauris, ISBN 9781784536732)

It has long been acknowledged that the Western powers’ response to Islamist terror – that of ‘decapitation’, exemplified by the killing of Osama bin Laden – was fundamentally misconceived and counter-productive. It has led to a new wave of jihadist strategies, ranging from the establishment of the ISIS ‘caliphate’ in parts of Syria and Iraq, to ‘lone wolf’ terror attacks on European cities.