The rise of militant jihadist groups is one of the greatest international security crises in the world today. In civil wars across the modern Muslim world, Islamist groups have emerged out of the ashes, surged dramatically to power, and routed their rivals on the battlefield.

Introduction -- Mosques and Markets -- Black Flags in the Bazaar : The Making of Modern Islamist Proto-States -- Mafia and Mujahideen : Trafficking and Trust Building under Soviet Occupation -- Traders and Taliban : Business Interests and Islamist Power in Afghanistan -- Beards for Business : The Origins and Evolution of the Mogadishu Mafia -- The Price of Protection : The Rise of the Islamic Courts Union -- The Blowback Effect : International Intervention and the Collapse of the Proto-State -- The Proto-State Goes Global : Business-Islamist Alliances across the Muslim World -- Rising from the Ashes : The Dilemma of Modern Jihadist Proto-State Formation -- Appendix : Methodology and Field Research.