InFebruary2014,al-QaidaissuedastatementthatshockedtheentireJihadimovement.Forthefirsttimeinitshistory,thegroupdeclaredthatalocalaffiliate,theIslamicStateinIraq,wasnolongerpartofal-Qaida.TherenegadeIraqigroup,ledbyAbuBakral-Baghdadi,hadexpandeditsoperationstoSyria,takingovertheregionalbranchJabhatal-Nusra;butintheprocess,thegrouphaddefiedordersfromal-Qaida’samir,Aymanal-Zawahiri.IslamicState’sactions,andincreasinglyaggressiveposturetowardsfellowJihadis,eventuallyignitedaJihadicivilwar-aperioddefinedbyinternaltensionsthatultimatelyturnedglobal.Withdevastatingimpact,thisfitnalefttheJihadimovementmorepolarizedandfragmentedthanever,seriouslythreateningitsinternalcohesion.JihadiPoliticspresentsthefirstexhaustiveaccountofinfightingwithintheglobalJihadimovement.Basedonyearsofdigitalanthropology,hundredsofprimarydocuments,andinterviewswithJihadis,itoffersanunprecedentedglimpseintohistoricandcurrentconflictsbetweenandwithinJihadigroups.Thisthoroughexaminationoftheyears2014-2019offersamorenuancedunderstandingofthecurrentstateofJihadism,withimportantinsightsintoitsfutureevolution-includingIslamicState’sroleinAfghanistan.
