How We Win

An expert on countering extremism as the first special representative to Muslim Communities, Pandith reveals how to stop the spread of dangerous ideology.

“One of the most critical tools in the fight to keep our country and the world safe is the effort to combat the ideology that underlies extremist activity. Farah Pandith offers a comprehensive look at the war of ideas and provides concrete solutions to this vexing problem. Her book is essential for anyone who cares about security and the resilience of democratic values.” —Leon E. Panetta, former US secretary of defense and former director of the Central Intelligence Agency

“Drawing on her decades of experience, Pandith unweaves the tangled web of extremism and demonstrates how government officials, tech CEOs, and concerned citizens alike can do their part to defeat it” —Madeleine K. Albright, former US secretary of state

Twenty-five years ago, the attacks of September 11, 2001, shocked the world, and unleashed a dangerous new era of global extremism. Though American presidents on both sides of the aisle focused on quelling the threat through a strengthened national security infrastructure, the appeal of extremist ideologies has only continued to grow. Today, we face a threat landscape far more complex and dynamic, with teenagers now notable among those radicalized into armies that do not require a global infrastructure to do harm, and can be based anywhere. And formal organizations like Al Qaeda, the so-called Islamic State, and others remain in place while continuing to gain followers. 

But much has changed within our communities as well. Societal norms are eroding, democracy is under threat, and violence is ascendant across a shockingly broad spectrum of hate that targets Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Asians, and the LGBT+ community, among other groups. And the rise of AI-enabled propaganda and mis/disinformation campaigns have fostered an unprecedented ecosystem of harm. 

We possess the means right now to inoculate communities against extremist  ideologies. In How We Win, Pandith presents a revolutionary analysis of global extremism as well as powerful but seldom-used strategies for vanquishing it. Drawing on her visits to eighty countries, the hundreds of interviews and focus groups she’s conducted around the world, and her high-level experience in the Bush and Obama administrations, Pandith argues for a paradigm shift in our approach to combat this threat, one that mobilizes the expertise and resources of civil society, corporate leaders, mental health experts, social scientists, entrepreneurs, and, most of all, global youth themselves.

Originally published in 2019, now released on the twenty-fifth anniversary year of the 9/11 attacks featuring a new foreword by New York Times–bestselling author of The Only Plane in the Sky Garrett M. Graff, How We Win is an essential case study in the fight against extremism with an impassioned argument at its core. 

There is still a war being fought, and we can win it. This is how.

“A leader in countering violent extremism, Farah Pandith’s voice is needed now more than ever. Her book How We Win is filled with inspiring stories and proactive solutions on how to defeat extremist ideologies. It is essential reading for all of us.” —Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US secretary of state

“A timely book for government and civil society leaders.” —Michael Chertoff, former US secretary of homeland security, and cofounder and executive chairman of the Chertoff Group