The Three Phases of Jihadism
... with Dr. Gilles Kepel Dr. Gilles Kepel is a French political scientist and Arabist, specialized in contemporary issues of the Middle East and Muslims in the West. He is a professor and director of the Middle East and Mediterranean chair at Université ... ... of Jihadism The first stage of Jihadism, present from 1979 to 1997, was centered around both a jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan and the possibility for Sunni groups to contain Iranian influence at the time. It was effective against Russia in Afghanistan, but this phase was not very successful elsewhere and failed in Algeria, Chechnya, and Egypt. Phase one ...