This anthology-the first of an initial two volume set-specifically covers Small Wars Journal writings on the Al Qaeda network spanning the years 2007-2011. It will be followed by a planned second volume covering the years 2012-2014 that highlights both Al Qaeda and Islamic State activities. Depending on the receptivity of the readers to these volumes, future anthologies may be published. Conceptually, these volumes have been inspired by the four Small Wars Journal-El Centro anthologies published to date between 2012-2015. These new anthologies are meant to contribute to US security debates focusing on radical Islamist global insurgency by collecting diverse SWJ essays into more easily accessible formats.

This volume is composed of forty-nine chapters divided into sections on radical Islamist OPFORs (opposition forces) and context and U.S.-allied policy and counter radical Islamist strategies, a preface by Youssef Aboul-Enein, a postscript by Hakim Hazim, this introduction, an acronym listing, extensive chapter notes, and short biographies of the forty-five contributors showcased in this work.