overnight raid killed isis leader abu ibrahim al hashimi al qurayshi and it raised the question what is the state of islamic terror and isis specifically? is it still a major threat? joining me now is fawaz gerges, professor of international relations at the london school of economics and the author of isis: a history. fawaz, welcome. first, give us a sense of what al qurayshi s death means. is this a body blow? how would you describe it? well, i mean, i think the killing of al qurayshi will have more of a tactical impact on the islamic state than a strategic impact. my take on it, fareed, and i m very harsh on american foreign policy, is that american politicians tend to simplify very complex problems.
islamic terror and isis specifically? is it still a major threat? joining me now is fawaz gerges, professor of international relations at the london school of economics and the author of isis: a history. fawaz, welcome. first, give us a sense of what al qurayshi s death means. is this a body blow? how would you describe it? well, i mean, i think the killing of al qurayshi will have more of a tactical impact on the islamic state than a strategic impact. my take on it, fareed, and i m very harsh on american foreign policy, is that american politicians tend to simplify very complex problems. killing one individual regardless of how important this individual will not really put a permanent end to the islamic state. what has happened what has happened in the past three years, after the dismantling of
extre extreme 1re9ing program. being politically correct is fine but not for this. we should note the suspect is originally from uzbekistan, a country that has not been included on the president s travel ban. we re joined by fawaz gerges, author of isis: a history. he s live in london. good morning. at this point they re calling this an act of terror. they have a suspect here who is alive. remarkable that they will be able to talk to him and find out how he was radicalized, where he was radicalized and where his intention was. talk to us professor about this new trend of using vehicles as a weapon in these lone wolf attacks. you re sfwlult correct. i think the good junnews is he still alive. so the authorities will be able to debrief him. they ll be able to talk to him,
than 90 minutes away there in spain. let s bring back from london the author of isis: a history and professor of international relations at the london school of economics. good morning to you, sir. great to have your insight and analysis. this is not new as far as the view across europe, the sixth of 2016. how does this differ in its coordination and planning? i mean, it s similar to the attacks that we have seen in nice, france, and berlin and london where i am. in the past year two van attacks basically occurred in london and several casualties. i think vehicles and vans have become a weapon of choice for isis and other alt-right groups, whether you re talking about the uk or the united states.
journey, there will be a moment of silence. the king of spain will be here, and those who have been involved in these terror attacks will be remembered. there are three days of mourning here present day. throughout the next two hours, we ll check back in with you, becky anderson. very much an active investigation. thank you. thanks for setting the scene. let s bring in author of isis: a history, professor of international relations at the london school of economics. and professor, too often we turn to you when something happens around the world for some sort of explanation or some sort of analysis and context for what s happening here. what are your thoughts about these three separate incidents that look like they re connected in spain? thank you. i mean, i think there are many pieces of the puzzle that are still missing. this is, as becky said, a fluid story. it s evolving. the driver of the van who