In the early twenty-first century, perhaps no political ideology has become more important - yet less understood - in the Western world than Radical Islam or Islamism, the fundamentalist ideology that holds the jihad or Holy War against infidels as the ultimate service to God and the highest obligation of every Muslim. Understanding Radical Islam outlines and discusses the major tenets, segments, developments, problems, and contradictions surrounding Islamism and its impact on global politics in the twenty-first century. The book details the people, policies, and events associated with Islamism, as well as the cultural clashes between Islamism and the West. Understanding Radical Islam should be a major addition to any collegiate class in Middle Eastern politics, political theory, and ideology.