Loretta Napoleoni is a bestselling author specializing in the economics of terrorism and its financing. Her work delves deeply into the motivations and mechanisms that drive terrorist organizations, uncovering the intricate links between economies and violence. Napoleoni draws on extensive interviews with members of terrorist groups to offer a unique perspective on these entities and their global impact. Her analyses provide readers with a penetrating understanding of international security challenges.
This books propels the reader into the center of illegal organizations, and explains how they fund their activities. From the PLO to Al-Qaeda to the IRA, Loretta Napoleoni maps out the arteries of an international economic system that feeds armed groups the world over. She follows the money and gets to the truth of 'the new economy of terror' - a 1.5 trillion dollar system - and assesses the full extent of the role of the West in devloping the economies of armed organizations.
"Modern Jihad is the first book to tackle the issues raised by September 11th 2001 from a specifically economic perspective. Presenting an astonishing array of evidence, taken from extensive research and interviews, the book is an account of controversial issues that lie at the heart of many of today's international problems."--Jacket.
A powerful and sophisticated underground business delivers thousands of refugees a day all along the Mediterranean coasts of Europe. The new breed of criminals that controls it has risen out of the political chaos of post-9/11 Western foreign policy and the fiasco of the Arab Spring. These merchants of men are intertwined with jihadist armed organizations such as al Qaeda in the Maghreb. They have prospered smuggling cocaine from West Africa and kidnapping Westerners. More recently, the destabilization of Syria and Iraq coupled with the rise of ISIS offered them new business opportunities in the Middle East, from selling Western hostages to jihadist groups to trafficking in refugees numbering in the millions. Overall, the kidnapping industry today is bigger than the illegal drug trade and worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Merchants of Men is based on exclusive access to hostage negotiators actively involved in ransom negotiations and rescue missions, counter-terrorism experts, members of security services, and former hostages, among many others. The reader will discover that the protocols of prevention and rescue change according to the type of abduction and the designated targets, and will come to know first hand the range of experiences of kidnapping victims. Will the West once again reap the benefits of the political chaos it has sown in its own backyard? From colonization to the advent of friendly dictatorial regimes, today's fast-aging European nations are buyers on the refugee market. New workers are needed, and the merchants of men are supplying them. But only skilled, highly educated refugees are wanted. As a tsunami of migrants and refugees floods Europe, new questions almost too numerous to count must be answered
The book explores the intricate relationship between the war on terror and the global economic crisis, highlighting how military actions and policies, such as the Patriot Act, inadvertently fueled the black market and increased oil prices, leading to widespread economic instability. Napoleoni argues that the U.S. response to 9/11 has significant ties to the financial turmoil, suggesting that without acknowledging these connections, society risks remaining trapped in a cycle of debt and recession. The narrative spans global locations, revealing overlooked implications of political decisions.
From its birth in the late 1990s as the jihadist dream of terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the Islamic State (known by a variety of names, including ISIS, ISIL, and al Qaeda in Iraq) has grown into a massive enterprise, redrawing national borders across the Middle East and subjecting an area larger than the United Kingdom to its own vicious brand of Sharia law. In The Islamist Phoenix, world-renowned terrorism expert Loretta Napoleoni takes us beyond the headlines, demonstrating that while Western media portrays the Islamic State as little more than a gang of thugs on a winning streak, the organization is proposing a new model for nation building. Waging a traditional war of conquest to carve out the 21st-century version of the original Caliphate, IS uses modern technology to recruit and fundraise while engaging the local population in the day-to-day running of the new state. Rising from the ashes of failing jihadist enterprises, the Islamic State has shown a deep understanding of Middle Eastern politics, fully exploiting proxy war and shell-state tactics. This is not another terrorist network but a formidable enemy in tune with the new modernity of the current world disorder. As Napoleoni writes, "Ignoring these facts is more than misleading and superficial, it is dangerous. 'Know your enemy' remains the most important adage in the fight against terrorism." From the eBook edition.
Purl and stitch: Empowering, healing, and reconnecting us to each other and ourselvesIn a fractured world plagued by anxiety and loneliness, knitting is coming to the rescue of people from all walks of life. Economist and lifelong knitter Loretta Napoleoni unveils the hidden power of the purl and stitch mantra: an essential tool for the survival of our species, a means for women to influence history, a soothing activity to calm us, and a powerful metaphor of life.This book is a voyage through our history following the yarn of social, economic and political changes - from ancient Egypt and Peru to modern Mongolia, from the spinning bees of the American Revolution to the knitting spies of World War II, and from the hippies’ rejection of consumerism to yarnbombing protests against climate change. For the author it is also a personal journey of discovery and salvation, drawing on the wisdom her grandmother passed along as they knit together.Revealing recent discoveries in neuroscience, The Power of Knitting offers proof of the healing powers of knitting on our bodies and minds. Breaking through societal barriers, even nursing broken hearts, and helping to advance cutting-edge science, knitting is still a valuable instrument for navigating our daily lives.As a bonus, the book includes patterns for ten simple yet iconic projects that reflect the creative, empowering spirit of knitting, with complete instructions.
Im Jahr 2014 trat die Terror-Miliz 'Islamischer Staat' mit brutaler Vehemenz in den Fokus der Öffentlichkeit und begann, die politische Landkarte des Nahen Ostens neu zu ordnen. Die Autorin Loretta Napoleoni, eine Expertin für Terrorismus, untersucht den Aufstieg des IS und beleuchtet die entscheidenden Ereignisse, die zu seiner Entstehung führten, insbesondere ab 2003 nach der US-Invasion im Irak und dem Bürgerkrieg in Syrien seit 2011. Sie stellt heraus, dass der IS sich grundlegend von anderen terroristischen Organisationen wie al-Qaida unterscheidet. Napoleoni argumentiert, dass der IS über Ressourcen und Strategien verfügt, die ihm eine dauerhafte Staatenbildung ermöglichen. Die mittelalterliche Brutalität des IS und seine ausgeklügelte mediale Selbstinszenierung über soziale Netzwerke sind zwei scheinbar widersprüchliche Aspekte, die die Organisation nutzt, um die dramatischen Umbrüche in der Region und die technologischen Möglichkeiten des 21. Jahrhunderts auszuschöpfen. Die Autorin fragt, was wir über den IS wissen und welche Missverständnisse über diese komplexe Organisation bestehen.
Warum Stricken uns stark und glücklich macht Loretta Napoleoni beschwört das Stricken als wertvolles Band zwischen Menschen: So wie sie selbst das Stricken als Kind von ihrer Großmutter gelernt und dabei viel von ihr über das Leben und die Welt erfahren hat, hat Napoleoni es an ihre Patentochter weitergegeben. In ihrem sehr persönlichen Buch beschreibt sie nicht nur, wie Stricken Menschen und Generationen einander näher bringt, sondern auch wie es der Seele Trost spendet und mitunter sogar therapeutische Wirkung entfaltet. Sie erzählt Geschichte und Geschichten, in denen das Stricken eine Rolle spielt, und schildert vielfältige kulturelle Traditionen, die sich mit dem Stricken verbinden. Durchgehend farbig illustriert und um 10 originelle Strickanleitungen ergänzt, ist Napoleonis Liebeserklärung an das Stricken das ideale Geschenk für alle, die leidenschaftlich gerne zu Nadeln und Wolle greifen. Ausstattung: mit zahlreichen farbigen Abb.
Schockierende Fakten über parasitäre Finanz- und Wirtschaftsstrukturen Die globale Ökonomie, die scheinbar den „Gesetzen des Marktes“ folgt, entwickelt sich in Wahrheit immer mehr zu einem Dorado für Gesetzlose, für „Outlaws“ und „Schurken“, wie Loretta Napoleoni es schonungslos formuliert. Die Grenzen zwischen Verbrechen und ganz legalen Formen der Ausplünderung und des Machtmissbrauchs verschwimmen zunehmend. Während Mafia, Waffen- und Drogenhändler, Zuhälterringe und Sklavenhalter professionell und unter ehrbarem Deckmantel arbeiten, entfaltet auch die gewählte Staatsmacht in vielen Ländern der Erde kriminelle Aktivitäten. Staatliche Amtsträger machen sich zu Steigbügelhaltern der organisierten Kriminalität, die sich als generöser Mäzen so mancher Polit-Karriere revanchiert. Die „Schurken-Ökonomie“ zerstört ein Jahrhundert sozialer Fortschritte und beraubt die westlichen Gesellschaften ihrer ethischen Grundlagen. Spannend wie ein Mafia-Thriller und präzise recherchiert, entführt uns das Buch der Top-Journalistin und Expertin für Geldwäsche in eine gefährliche Grauzone zwischen Licht und Schatten. Die weltweit profilierteste Expertin für die Analyse internationaler Finanzmanipulationen berichtet.
