Why do "Islamic radicals"-including the partisans of al-Qaeda and other followers of Osama bin Laden--enjoy so much sympathy in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world? Understanding such a phenomenon is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for crafting a strategy to cope with the murderous violence of September 11, 2001. This GLOBAL POLICY BRIEF explores these socioeconomic roots of Islamic radicalism: - The multidimensional crisis of the Muslim world - The rage of the young, a majority of the population in the Middle East, faced with poor prospects - Increasing poverty and collapsing cities - Failures of government