View text source at Wikipedia

J.M. Berger

J.M. Berger
Born
John M. Berger

1967 (age 57–58)
Academic background
EducationPhD
Alma materSwansea University School of Law
Academic work
DisciplineCriminologist
Sub-disciplineTerrorism scholar
InstitutionsCenter on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism
Notable works
  • Jihad Joe
  • ISIS: The State of Terror
Websitewww.jmberger.com

John M. Berger (born 1967) is an American academic and investigative journalist who writes on extremism and terrorism. He has a PhD in criminology from the Swansea University School of Law. Berger is a senior research fellow at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism and has served as a consultant for government agencies and tech companies. He has written three books on the subjects of extremism and terrorism, including ISIS: The State of Terror (with Jessica Stern) and Jihad Joe.

Education and career

[edit]

John M. Berger was born in 1967.[1] He is the creator of the investigative journalism site Intelwire,[2][3][4] and was also involved in the making of several documentary films.[5] He has published both journalistic and academic works,[6] and was a contributor to the magazine Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, and Politico.[7][8]

Berger has a PhD in criminology from the Swansea University School of Law.[9][10] He is a senior research fellow at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and an associate fellow of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism.[9][8] He is also a research fellow at the VOX-Pol Network of Excellence[9] and is a former non-resident fellow of the Brookings Institution.[9][11] He has also served as a consultant for tech companies and government agencies on terrorism and extremism related issues. He was on the Independent Advisory Committee of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism.[9] He largely writes on extremism, particularly when it comes to propaganda and ideology.[9][12]

Works

[edit]

His first book, Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam, was published in 2011 by Potomac Books. It covers homegrown jihadism in the United States.[4][2][5][3] Many documents used in the creation of the book were obtained the Freedom of Information Act.[3] In 2015, Berger and fellow terrorism scholar Jessica Stern wrote ISIS: The State of Terror, on the ideology and propaganda of ISIS. It received positive reviews and in 2015 was listed by The Wall Street Journal as one of their 10 recommended books on the evolution of terror in the Middle East,[13][14] and listed it as a work of notable nonfiction for that year.[15] Foreign Affairs listed it as one of the best books of 2015.[16]

In 2018 he wrote Extremism for MIT Press, as part of their Essential Knowledge Series. The book gives an introduction to extremism as a concept and an analysis of it and its manifestations.[6][17] In 2020 he published his debut fiction novel, Optimal.[9]

Bibliography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Berger, J. M. (2018). Extremism. The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series. Cambridge: MIT Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. ISBN 978-0-2625-3587-8.
  2. ^ a b Michael, George (June 5, 2012). "JIHAD JOE: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam". Military Review. 92 (3): 96–97. ISSN 0026-4148.
  3. ^ a b c Shane, Scott (June 26, 2011). "The American Jihadis". The New York Times Book Review. p. 23. ISSN 0028-7806.
  4. ^ a b Entessar, Nader (June 15, 2011). "American Jihadists". Library Journal. Vol. 136, no. 11. New York City. p. 100. ISSN 0363-0277.
  5. ^ a b "Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 258, no. 14. New York City. April 4, 2011. pp. 43–43. ISSN 0000-0019. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Scerri, Daniela (2019). "Review of Extremism [The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series], BergerJ.M.". Perspectives on Terrorism. 13 (3): 180–181. ISSN 2334-3745. JSTOR 26681975.
  7. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (April 2, 2015). "Review: 'ISIS: The State of Terror,' by Jessica Stern and J. M. Berger, and 'ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,' by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  8. ^ a b "J.M. Berger". International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "J.M. Berger". Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. April 25, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  10. ^ "Bio". J.M. Berger. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  11. ^ Negus, Steve (April 5, 2015). "Why They Fight". The New York Times Book Review. pp. 11–12. ISSN 0028-7806.
  12. ^ "'State Of Terror': Where ISIS Came From And How To Fight It". NPR. March 15, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  13. ^ Russell, Anna (November 17, 2015). "10 Must-Read Books on the Evolution of Terrorism in the Middle East". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  14. ^ Sarac, Busra Nisa (August 7, 2016). "Jessica Stern and J. M. Berger. ISIS: The State of Terror: New York: Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers, 2015. 385 pp., $27.99 paperback. ISBN: 978-0-06-239552-2". Terrorism and Political Violence. 28 (4): 823–824. doi:10.1080/09546553.2016.1205467. ISSN 0954-6553.
  15. ^ "Notable nonfiction of 2015". The Washington Post. November 18, 2015. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  16. ^ "The Best Books of 2015". Foreign Affairs. December 14, 2015. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  17. ^ Lutz, James M. (May 19, 2021). "Extremism: by J. M. Berger, Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 2018, 201 + x pp., $15.95/£11.95 (paper)". The European Legacy. 26 (3–4): 448–449. doi:10.1080/10848770.2019.1705623. ISSN 1084-8770.
[edit]