Pulitzer Prize Winner: We created ISIS ourselves. "Tender is the Night", ISIS History and Survival Skills from the Secret Service: Favorite Books of Disney CEO Robert Iger25.11.2016 Political Islam after ISIS

As Business Insider notes, Robert Iger leads Disney at a landmark time for it - during his leadership, the corporation acquired control of Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, and the value of the company's shares quadrupled.

Iger gave an interview to Variety about his career. The entrepreneur recalled his first job as a meteorologist and shared his story of working in the media. At the end of the interview, the Disney CEO presented a list of seven of his favorite books that he recommends every specialist read.

1. Black Flags: Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick

Warrick's book on ISIS won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. The author tells how the ideology of ISIS originated in one of the Jordanian prisons and how two US presidents unwittingly helped to spread it.

Warrick was able to talk to CIA officials and access documents from Jordan and track how diplomats, spies, generals and heads of state tried to stop the movement from spreading - some saw it as a greater threat than al-Qaeda's activities. Critics call the book "brilliant and complete".

2. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough

A book from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough about the life of the inventors of the first airplane, Wilbur and Orville Wright.

3. "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen

American performer Bruce Springsteen devoted seven years of his life to this book. In the work, Springsteen told the story of his life - "with his usual humor and originality."

4. "December 10: Stories" by George Saunders

According to the readers of the book, the story reveals the issues of modern human morality. The author tries to figure out what makes any person good in the eyes of others and what makes him human.

5. "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

6. "Survival by the method of intelligence: 100 key skills" by Clint Emerson

A practical survival guide from retired US Navy Clint Emerson, adapted for non-military users. The book includes instructions for self-defense, getting rid of surveillance or pursuers, and survival in other dangerous situations.

7. Tender is the Night, Francis Scott Fitzgerald

Classic novel by American writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1934. The life story of a talented psychiatrist and his wife, whose wealth pushes them towards death.

The West went to war to end terror. Instead, we conjured a man who later founded the Islamic State (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation - ed. note). This is covered in a new book by journalist Joby Warrick.

The Americans miscalculated.

It was 2004, the second year of intervention in Iraq was approaching, and gradually it became clear to the American government what they were facing.

Or more precisely: with whom.

In the shadow of the overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath regime, a tattooed former recidivist from an unknown Jordanian mining town led an insurgency against Iraq's majority Shia Muslims. A rebellion of unprecedented brutality - even for violent extremists. The destruction of shrines and disdain for civilian lives went hand in hand: mosques and historical shrines of Shiite Muslims were destroyed, and markets in Shiite cities were turned into sites of bloody attacks by suicide bombers.

Soon the man behind the ethnic cleansing will become known worldwide as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He rose from the ashes of a devastating invasion and ignited a sectarian fire in a civil war that he later turned into the foundation of a movement that, after many mutations, was to become ISIS.

What's worse is that the West itself has made it possible. When it became clear in 2004 that Zarqawi was about to bury American plans, the US State Department released a poster with a couple of photographs of the Jordanian taken after his arrest and offered a $25 million reward. Zarqawi was appointed as the mysterious master criminal behind the religious resistance movement in Iraq, the goal of the Americans was to encourage local residents to inform the authorities about where he was hiding. But instead, the poster and the rumors that have sprung up around it have turned Zarqawi into a cult figure among the jihadists. Militant Islamists around the world - including in Denmark - joined his fight in Iraq. The myth of the invisible leader made Zarqawi incredibly popular. The jihadists have even used the American poster in their own propaganda.

Context

How to save the Middle East after the departure of ISIS?

Who will defeat ISIS?

War with ISIS on the Mosul-Aleppo line

Political Islam after ISIS

Journalist Washington Post Joby Warrick spent a good two years combing through classified documents and talking to a variety of people, from US agents to Iraqi Mukhabarat security officials. We meet a young CIA officer, Nada Bakos, who becomes the foremost intelligence expert on Zarqawi. We meet the intelligent Basel al-Sabha doctor, who treated Zarqawi while the Jordanian was in prison. And we meet Abu Haytham, the head of the Jordanian counterterrorism corps, whose mission is to destroy ISIS.

The portrait of the world-famous jihadist is formed precisely thanks to these images, it is thanks to them that we get an explanation: how a simple Jordanian prisoner - in the eyes of the West - was able, after all, to create what we today know as the Islamic State (ISIS).

"I've been fascinated by Zarqawi for years," says Warrick, who won journalism's most important prize, the Pulitzer Prize, for the book earlier in the year.

“He is a figure no less significant than Osama bin Laden when it comes to the development of global jihad. But we in the West do not understand who he was and what he created. And I'm afraid we still underestimate him today."

From gigolo to superstar

The conclusion that Warrick draws from his analysis is that ISIS emerged long before the movement, in its landmark blitzkrieg in the spring of 2014, conquered large territories, occupied the large Iraqi city of Mosul, and proclaimed the creation of a caliphate. This was due to the marginalization and oppression that Sunnis in Iraq and Islamists in Syria were subjected to by their respective governments. The root of the problem - marginalization and oppression - led to the fact that Zarqawi was then able to gain support and recruit infantry for himself. Subsequently, ISIS continued to profit from the same marginalization, and tomorrow, when ISIS is driven out, a new militant movement may do so again. Because Sunni Muslims always feel marginalized by the Shiite – and Western-backed – government in Baghdad.

“If I try to extract a simple main idea from my work on the book, it will be this: the US and the West have misanalyzed what was happening in foreign policy. As if it came as a complete surprise to us that we, too, were involved in the success of Zarqawi's project. We are also amazed today by ISIS, so it is important to remember the history, ”says the writer.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was born in the city of Zarga in 1966 to a poor Jordanian-Palestinian family of Bedouin origin, he grew up in the city of Zarga, as a young man he could not find his place in life and was often in trouble with the law . He drank like a man possessed, had tattoos, and was known to the local police as a pusher, robber, and gigolo.

He found consolation in the extreme, militant branch of Islamism. He got cleansed, had a relative cut off his tattoos with a razor blade, and ended his usual criminal past. Instead, he traveled to Afghanistan in 1989 to join the Mujahideen's fight against the Soviet occupation authorities. This marked the beginning of Zarqawi's career as an Islamist guerrilla leader.

“Zarqawi was an atypical role model for Islamists. He did not look like the strategist Osama bin Laden or the smart and refined Mohammed Atta (the "brain" of the September 11 attacks - ed.). Zarqawi was from another planet. Completely different type. He dressed up in black clothes, fired from a machine gun into the air and executed his captives himself. It is simply incomprehensible how he could later become such an important bird, ”says Joby Warrick.

In fact, Zarqawi joined the rebels in Afghanistan too late. But the Jordanian continued to fight his way through the ranks of the militant Islamists and was eventually arrested in Jordan and thrown into the infamous al-Swaqa prison. Being behind bars made Zarqawi even more radical, and when King Abdullah of Jordan came to power after his father in 1999 and released some political prisoners so that the change of power would go smoothly, he had no idea what he indirectly accepted participation in the revival of militant Islamism.

For ISIS, the myth has become a trump card

However, that is exactly what happened, says Joby Warrick in his book. The US occupation of Iraq gave Zarqawi's fundamentalism a foundation to lean on, and since then the Jordanian has been behind everything from bomb blasts and kidnappings to the execution of hostages like US businessman Nick Berg. Zarqawi cut off Berg's head himself, and the horrendous execution was filmed and posted online, a propaganda stunt that ISIS began many years later.

Like-minded people looked at Zarqawi as a hero of the resistance fighting the occupying authorities. And when his then organization, the Army of Monotheism and Jihad (Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad), later allowed itself to be swallowed up by al-Qaeda, Zarqawi was crowned as the "Emir" of the Iraqi branch - the forerunner of the ISIS movement.

The Jordanian was killed in an American bombing raid in 2006, but then all the bad things - if you look at it through the eyes of the West - had already happened. The question is, how did a street urchin with such a tarnished reputation, such a modest knowledge of religion, a man of such unattractive origins manage to rise to the top and lay the foundations of what is today regarded as one of the biggest security threats in the world?

“It surprises me too,” Warrick admits.

But perhaps the explanation for Zarqawi's success lies precisely in the fact that he was the antithesis of a jihadist leader, the writer muses.

“I think… Before becoming a jihadist, Zarqawi was a gangster. People who were drawn to his wrestling were drawn to his swagger and gangster mannerisms. First of all, criminal elements joined him. And they gave Zarqawi power, made him the leader.”

“While I was writing Black Flag, the fight in Syria was carried on by a new generation. It seems to me that Zarqawi was successful because his enemies exaggerated his personal importance, elevating him and making him more important than his own movement. They themselves are to blame. Thus, it can be said that we ourselves created Zarqawi, turning him into such a mythical figure.”

In this regard, it can be seen that the West, by turning Zarqawi into a myth, itself endowed the global jihadist movement with a PR strategy, from which ISIS and the spooky “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi later amassed considerable capital.

“Later on, ISIS took on the image of this jihadist man of action and is now using it in their propaganda for all their soldiers,” Warrick says.

"That's something to think about."

The billionaire summed up the year by choosing the five best books to read by the fireplace in the coming New Year holidays.

One of the richest people in the world, Microsoft founder Bill Gates wrote in a personal blog about which books impressed him the most in 2017.

“Reading is my favorite way to indulge my curiosity. While I have been fortunate to meet interesting people and visit amazing places for work, I still believe that a book is the best way to explore new topics that interest you. This year I chose works devoted to completely different topics,” said Gates.

He noted that he liked the book "Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS" (Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS) by Joby Warrick. Her billionaire recommends her to anyone who wants a history lesson on how ISIS took over Iraq.

“On the other hand, I also enjoyed John Green's Turtles All the Way Down, which tells the story of a young woman who hunts down a missing billionaire. The novel touches on such serious topics as mental illness, but John's stories are always so entertaining and full of great references to other works. Another good book I recently read is The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein. I was trying to learn more about the forces hindering economic mobility in the US, and this book helped me understand the role that public policy has played in creating the conditions for racial segregation in American cities,” the billionaire said.

The Microsoft founder also wrote more in-depth reviews of the books he thought were the best of the year. The list includes a memoir by one of his favorite comedians, a history of poverty in America, an immersive energy history book, and two Vietnam War stories.

"If you're looking for a great book to read by the fireplace this holiday season, you can't go wrong with one of these," Gates said. Forbes provides a list of books and the billionaire's comments on them.

Top 5 books of 2017 according to Bill Gates

1. “The best we could do”, Thi Bui.(The Best We Could Do, Thi Bui).

This magnificent graphic novel is a deeply personal memoir of what it means to be a parent and a refugee. The family of the author, artist Thi Bui fled Vietnam in 1978. After giving birth to a child, the artist decided to learn more about the experience of her parents living in a country torn apart by foreign occupiers.

2. Displaced: Poverty and Prosperity in an American City by Matthew Desmond. (Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American Cityby Matthew Desmond).

If you want to understand how poverty is intertwined, you must read this book on the Milwaukee eviction crisis. Matthew Desmond painted a brilliant portrait of Americans living in poverty. His book gave me a better idea of ​​what it means to be poor in this country than any other I have ever read.

3. Trust Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard. (Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens, Eddie Izzard).

The story of stand-up comedian Izzard is captivating: he endured a difficult childhood and worked tirelessly to overcome his lack of natural talent and become a world-class star. If you're a fan like me, you'll love this book. His writing is very reminiscent of his stage performances, so I laughed out loud several times while reading.

4. "Sympathetic", Viet Thanh Nguyen. (The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen).

Most of the books I read and the films I saw about the Vietnam War represented the American point of view. The award-winning novel offers much-needed insight into what it was like to be a Vietnamese in those years, trapped between two sides in a conflict. Despite being a dark romance, The Sympathizer is also a gripping tale of a double agent and the trouble he gets himself into.

5. "Energy and civilization: history", Vaclav Smil.(Energy and Civilization: A History, Vaclav Smil).

Vaclav Smil is one of my favorite authors and this is definitely his masterpiece. He explains how our need for energy has shaped human history, from donkey-powered mills to today's quest for renewable energy. This is the simplest book, but after reading it, you will become smarter and more informed about how energy innovations are changing the course of civilizations.

The Pulitzer Prize for Best Non-Fiction 2016 went to Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by American journalist Joby Warrick. (ISIS is a terrorist organization banned in Russia - Ed.). This decision was announced on Monday, April 18, in New York, at Columbia University.

Joby Warrick has been with The Washington Post since 1996, writing about the Middle East, diplomacy and national security. In 2003, the International Press Club of America awarded him for the best reporting on the threats of nuclear proliferation. In Black Flags, Warrick recounts how the "strategic mistakes" of two US presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, helped ISIS grow stronger.

The book "Sympathizer" was recognized as the best work of art. Its author is an American scientist of Vietnamese origin Viet Tan Nguyen. He researches and teaches American and English literature at the University of Southern California, as well as ethnography. The Sympathizer is the author's debut novel set in the Vietnam War. The protagonist is a spy introduced into the army of South Vietnam - in 1975, together with its remnants, he goes to Los Angeles, where he begins a double game and life with a double consciousness.

American-Armenian Peter Balakian was recognized as the best poet of 2016. In The Ozone Diary, he reminisces about 2009, when, together with a team of TV journalists, he dug up the remains of the victims of the Armenian genocide in the Syrian desert.

The best biography was awarded to William Finnegan, who in the book "Barbarian Days" talks about his own passion for surfing.

For the best dramatic work (Broadway musical "Hamilton"), the composer, poet and actor Lin Manuel Miranda was awarded.

The best biographical work was recognized as the biography of the American cavalry officer George Custer by T. J. Styles. This writer specializes in biographies and previously won a Pulitzer for a book about Cornelius Vanderbilt, the richest American entrepreneur of the 19th century.

The 2016 Pulitzer Public Service Award was won by the Associated Press. The awards were also received by reporters from The New York Times, The Boston Globe and other publications.

The Pulitzer Prize has been awarded annually since 1917 for achievements in literature and journalism. Its size is 10 thousand dollars. The money is paid from the fund of the newspaper magnate of the late XIX - early XX century, one of the fathers of yellow journalism, Joseph Pulitzer.

Elena Kuznetsova, Fontanka.ru