What Makes Zarqawi Tick?
Gilles Kepel on Biography, Ideology, and Violence
Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, the leader and mastermind behind Al-Qaida in Iraq, has earned a reputation for his
ruthlessness and extraordinary capacity for clandestine terrorist operations in and outside Iraq. Having avoided
capture by Iraqi and American forces, he and his fellow jihadists from around the Arab world have played a
crucial role in sustaining the insurgency in Iraq.
Behind the sensational headlines and images of this True Believer lies a man whose life story, motivations and
world-view are little understood in the West. To help us make sense of Zarqawi, and to put his life story and
ideology in the context of Al-Qaida’s operations in Iraq and beyond, we will be joined by Gilles Kepel, one of
France’s leading experts on the Islamic world and editor of Al-Qaida Dans le Texte (Paris: 2006).
Commenting on the implications of Kepel’s analysis for the broader struggle against radical Islamism will be
Daniel Brumberg and Dan Byman.
Speakers
- Gilles Kepel
Director | Middle East-Mediterranean Program, Sciences-Po, Paris
- Daniel Brumberg
Special Advisor, Muslim World Initiative, USIP | Department of Government, Georgetown
University
- Dan Byman
School of Foreign Service | Georgetown University
- Haleh Esfandiari, Chair
Director, Middle East Program | Woodrow
Wilson Center
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