The destruction of Osama bin Laden seemed an incredible success, the beginning of the decline of international terror. But the emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which set out to create a global caliphate, overshadowed the most high-profile actions of al-Qaida. In this world, living in a sense of hopelessness, generations have grown up accustomed to violence. Confident that someone else is to blame for their troubles, young people write on the walls of their houses: “Enemies of Allah, you will live in fear!” Each terrorist attack gives rise to a feeling of omnipotence - all the intelligence services of the world are not able to stop the soldier of jihad, a loner, in whose hands - albeit for a brief moment - are the lives of many people. The current Islamic militants did not appear out of nowhere. L. Mlechin in his book talks about the diverse history of terrorism in the twentieth century, which began long before the air attack of September 11, 2001.