About Book

This book provides a comprehensive visual and analytical catalogue of symbols used by 400 armed non-governmental organizations from 90 countries, offering insight into how militant groups craft identity, ideology, and political messaging through flags, badges, emblems, and other symbolic markers. By examining nearly 800 symbols across terrorist groups, militias, separatists, armed sects, resistance movements, and affiliated political actors, the volume reveals how iconography communicates worldview, legitimizes violence, and mobilizes supporters. In the contemporary era—marked by online radicalization, digital propaganda, and rapid circulation of extremist visuals—the book’s focus on symbolism is highly relevant for researchers, intelligence analysts, educators, and policymakers, as understanding visual semiotics is essential for decoding recruitment materials, identifying emerging groups, and countering extremist narratives across digital ecosystems.Zharinov’s work fills a rare and significant gap in terrorism and conflict literature by systematically cataloguing the symbolic universe of armed non-state actors. Its breadth—covering a century of groups and nearly a thousand symbols—is impressive and unmatched in the field. The book’s strength lies in its descriptive accuracy and visual documentation, offering a unique reference tool for scholars and practitioners. However, the analytical depth varies; while the book excels as a visual and descriptive compendium, it offers limited theoretical framing regarding semiotics, ideology formation, or strategic communication. Additionally, the absence of contextual historical explanations for each symbol restricts its utility for more advanced theoretical research. Despite this, its contribution as a reference guide is substantial and remains valuable for comparative studies in militant branding, extremist propaganda, and organisational identity.