Hardcover: 260 pages Publisher: Pentagon Press; First Edition edition (2017) ISBN-10: 8182749425 ISBN-13: 978-8182749429 Online Available at amazon.com

The pristine Hanafi school of Islam that prevails in the Central Asia is under severe threat of being displaced by a highly intolerant and violent version of Islam adopted by the likes of the IS. Increasingly marked by poverty and radicalization, the region has thus become a growing source of exported ‘jihadists’. While the damage is still limited, unless controlled with a heavy hand, the societal destruction in the name of Islam may reach a point of no return. This paper reviews this issue from various perspectives.

These two books paint a contemporaneous picture of the CIA’s fight against Islamic terrorism. George Tenet was the Director, CIA from 1997 to 2004, having the unique distinction of serving two Presidents, Clinton and Bush. While Tenet was inducted from outside the CIA, Morell was a career Intelligence officer, who served the CIA for 33 years, retiring as Deputy Director in 2013. Tenet was in the thick of the storm arising from the 9/11 attacks while Morell’s book brings us up to the birth and growth of the ISIS.