Al Qaeda and What It Means to Be Modern

Exploring the roots of Al Qaeda's ideology, the author contends that it is a contemporary manifestation of Western thought, emerging from globalization and Enlightenment ideals. Gray asserts that the group's revolutionary zeal parallels both the failures of Soviet communism and the neoliberal vision of a free market. He critiques Western beliefs in progress, technology, and democracy as solutions to global issues, urging a reevaluation of the United States' understanding of its adversaries in the post-9/11 world.