Fawaz Gerges: Rise of Militant Islam -2/6

Fawaz Gerges - renowned scholar of Islamic militancy and Arab social movements as well as author of the acclaimed "The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global" and "Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy" - explains the origins and rise of militant fundamentalist Islam. He dwells at length on: (a) the formation and evolution of Jihadi ideologies, strategies, and goals since middle of the twentieth century; (b) the failures of post-colonial Arab states as well as the role of US foreign policy in shaping Jihadist thinking; (c) the impact of external events such as the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the Afghan War against Soviet Union in the 1980s, and the stationing of American troops in Saudi Arabia following the first Gulf War, on Muslim militants' psyche; (d) the desperate need of Islamic militant groups by mid-1990s to "externalize" and "internationalize" their cause on account of successful domestic defeat by intelligence and security agencies of Arab tyrannies; (e) the importance of the second Iraq War in 2003 in legitimizing "West vs Islam" Jihadist point of view in the eyes of Muslims around the world; and (f) the change in Western policies required to successfully counter the threats posed by militant Islam. This interview was recorded in August 2007. PLEASE READ MY COMMENTS ON THE VIDEO BEFORE WATCHING.