" Since early 2007 a new breed of combatants has appeared on the streets of Mogadishu and other towns in Somalia: Al-Shabaab, or "The youth," the only self-proclaimed branch of al-Qaeda to have gained acceptance (and praise) from Ayman al-Zawahiri and 'AQ central' in Afghanistan. An offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union, which split in 2006, Al-Shabaab has imposed Sharia law and is also heavily influenced by local clan structures within Somalia itself. It remains an infamous and widely discussed, yet little-researched and understood, Islamist group. Hansen's remarkable book attempts to go beyond the media headlines and simplistic analyses based on alarmist or localist narratives. Employing intensive field research conducted within Somalia, including on-the-ground interviews with Al-Shabaab leaders themselves, he explores the history of a remarkable organization, one that has survived predictions of its collapse on several occasions. Al-Shabaab emerge as a hybrid Islamist organization that combines a strong streak of Somali nationalism with the rhetorical obligations of international jihadism, thereby attracting a not insignificant number of foreign fighters to its ranks--Cover verso.

Introduction -- Setting the stage: the resurgence of religion in Somalia -- Origins -- The first expansive phase 2005-06: in the shadow of the courts -- Phoenix from the ashes: insurgency (2007-08) -- The golden age of Shabaab (2009-10) -- The era of troubles (2010- ) -- Lose some, win some? -- Conclusions.