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The Rise of Islamic State

Tom Sutcliffe discusses the rise of Islamist groups with journalist Patrick Cockburn, Dr Katherine Brown, Dr Leena Hoffmann and former diplomat Gerard Russell.

Tom Sutcliffe talks to the journalist Patrick Cockburn about the rise of the Islamic State and the failure of the West's foreign policy in the Middle East. The academic Katherine Brown looks at the long-term strategy of IS by focusing on how it has persuaded Muslim women in the West to join its cause. While Leena Hoffman turns to the workings of another Islamist group - Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria. Gerard Russell is a former British diplomat in the Middle East and he recounts the demise of religious tolerance and the fate of some ancient faiths, now disappearing - from the Mandaeans to the Yazidis.

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43 minutes

Last on

Mon 2 Feb 2015 21:30
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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Patrick Cockburn

Patrick Cockburn is currently Middle East correspondent for the Independent.

'The Jihadis Return: Isis and the New Sunni Uprising' is available now.

: Essays & Articles by Patrick Cockburn

Katherine Brown

is a lecturer for King’s London at the Joint Services Command and Staff College and a regular lecturer and tutor for the Royal College of Defence Studies.

Her research is focused on counter-radicalization efforts, political Islam and gendered human security concerns.

Leena Hoffmann

is a Marie Curie Fellow at the Centre for Population, Poverty and Public Policy Studies in Luxembourg.

: Who speaks for the North? Politics and Influence in Northern Nigera.

Gerard Russell

A former United Nations and British diplomat to the Middle East, fluent in both Arabic and Farsi,Β Β now works as a strategic communications consultant.

Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journey into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East is out now.

Credits

Presenter Tom Sutcliffe
Interviewed Guest Patrick Cockburn
Interviewed Guest Katherine Brown
Interviewed Guest Leena Hoffmann
Interviewed Guest Gerard Russell
Producer Katy Hickman

Broadcasts

  • Mon 2 Feb 2015 09:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
  • Mon 2 Feb 2015 21:30
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

Podcast

  • Start the Week

    Weekly discussion programme, setting the cultural agenda every Monday