ISIS, Abu Bakr Naji, and the Management of Savagery

Al-Qaeda and ISIS used the Management of Savagery as both an operational concept and doctrine. Written for al-Qaeda in 2004, but demonstrated most thoroughly by ISIS from 2014 to 2021, the online published work explains how Islamist ideological groups hoped to defeat the West, in general, and the United States, in specific. This presentation explains the main themes of the work and how it was put into practice.

During the event, submit your questions for Dr. Steed to dolequestions@ku.edu for the question-and-answer portion of the program.

This program is closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

This special program will be live-streamed to the institute’s YouTube channel and to its website, www.doleinstitute.org. Due to continuing concerns regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic, the program will only be available online. Follow the Dole Institute on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates regarding this and future programming.

Brian L. Steed
Brian L. Steed is a retired US Army lieutenant colonel with more than thirty years of civilian and uniformed experience. He is a practitioner, student, and writer of military theory, Middle East culture, and history. Brian is an associate professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College where he was the 2018 Military Educator of the Year. He is also a senior fellow at Narrative Strategies. As an Army officer, he was a Middle East foreign area officer, which included eight and a half consecutive years living and working in the Middle East, to include assignments in Jordan, Israel, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates. Brian holds a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in political science and history. Brian has written and edited numerous books, articles, and papers on military theory, military history, and cultural awareness. His most recent books include ISIS: The Essential Reference Guide, Iraq War: The Essential Reference Guide, ISIS: An Introduction and Guide to the Islamic State, Voices of the Iraq War: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life (Voices of an Era), and Bees and Spiders: Applied Cultural Awareness and the Art of Cross-Cultural Influence.