Joby Warrick is an American Journalist who has won two Pulitzer Prizes. His work at The Washington Post covers topics on the Middle East, diplomacy, and national security. On today’s discussion, Warrick discusses his book, Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, in greater detail, and gives some history on how ISIS began.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:55] Even though we’re not under attack, the American people are still affected by ISIS.

[6:10] Who is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, really?

[9:25] Warrick discusses Zarqawi and his relationship with his mother.

[13:45] How did prison make Zarqawi more radical?

[16:10] Prison helped form a brotherhood, a university, for a lot of these men.

[21:25] Zarqawi and his associates were disowned by Al-Qaeda because they were almost too brutal.

[22:20] ISIS and Al-Qaeda do not like each other. Al-Qaeda views them as ‘crazy heretics.’

[27:55] How was Zarqawi connected to Saddam's regime?

[32:30] The U.S. decided to wait until after after the Iraq invasion to go after Zarqawi.

[40:05] Zarqawi created a new and more brutal form of terrorism.

[47:55] Zarqawi died by the hands of American soldiers. We finally got him!

[48:20] The third part of Warrick’s book focuses on ISIS.

[48:45] If Zarqawi was neutralized, how did ISIS rise up in Syria?

[56:35] Who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and what was his role in all of this?

[1:01:10] When ISIS takes credit for terrorist attacks/acts of violence, is it really them or are they just capitalizing on an opportunity?

[1:02:50] What is happening in Iraq right now?

[1:09:25] Warrick revisits the Sykes-Picot Agreement, and how it still applies today.

[1:12:50] Where does Jordan stand in all of this?

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Joby Warrick

Joby Warrick on Wikipedia

Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, by Jody Warrick