Dyer (Climate Wars) a historian, independent journalist, and former naval reservist, analyses current conflicts in the Middle East through the lens of Islamic history and Islam itself. He maintains that the goals of Islamist terrorists don't directly involve the Western world per se and that strategies Western countries have been using to deal with terrorism for the last two decades have played into terrorists' hands. The war with ISIS, he says, is not a new kind of war, it's just war. He describes the histories of Islam, Arabs and the Middle East as they relate to the rise of ISIS. He explains the differences between the various sects of Islam, vital for understanding current conflicts. According to Dyer, ISIS aims to recreate the Sunni Caliphate and bring about the end-of-days, but with Al Qaeda and ISIS as rivals and historical infighting, the chances of either of them overrunning the Middle East and the rest of the world aren't high. If the West plays it smart, there's no need to panic, he says. His writing is straightforward, concise and avoids sensationalism. For anyone interested in how ISIS seemingly sprang up from nowhere, Dyer provides an excellent analysis of its origins. Laura Susijn, The Susijn Agency (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.