Author Q&A on the Middle East : Patrick Cockburn – Big Issue North May 11, 2016 by Fulcrum Peerless on-the-ground reporting lent weight to Patrick Cockburn’s book last year The Rise of Islamic State. Chaos and Caliphate , a collection of the journalist’s diaries, is the raw material of one of the sharpest commentators on the global jihadi threat. Kevin Gopal. Big Issue North 18 April 2016 FulcrumShareTweetShare