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Accounting for Islamic State’s Appeal and Resilience

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Islamic State and the Coming Global Confrontation

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Abstract

Despite having a vast number of forces arrayed against it—the US coalition, Putin’s Moscow, Iran and its proxy Hezbollah, Kurdish Peshmerga, and the regimes in Baghdad and Damascus—IS is growing stronger. Reasons for the resilience displayed on the part of the jihadis include encouraging polarization between groups and then benefiting from this process and its diverse funding sources—from oil sales to the trafficking of antiquities and narcotics—have allowed it to build a war chest in excess of US $2 billion. With these funds, IS has deployed soft power—digging sewage systems, providing stipends to families, to earn the loyalty of its “citizens.” IS has also displayed superior military strategy, combining conventional military doctrine with asymmetric warfare.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    John W. Williams, “Carlos Marighela: The father of urban guerrilla warfare,” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 12, no.1, (1989), pp. 1–20.

  2. 2.

    David von Drehle, “The European Front,” Time, January 26, (2015), p. 18.

  3. 3.

    Arno Tausch, “Estimates on the Global Threat of Islamic State Terrorism in the Face of the 2015 Paris and Copenhagen Attacks,” Rubin Center. Last modified, July 13, 2015. Date accessed: July 29, 2015. http://www.rubin.center.org/2015/07/estimates-on-the-global-threat-of-islamic-state-terrorism.

  4. 4.

    Lizzie Deardon, “Germany anti-Islam protests: Biggest Pegida march ever in Dresden as rest of Germany shows disgust with lights-out,” The Independent. Last modified, January 5, 2015. Date accessed: April 21, 2015. http://www.independent.co-uk/news/world/europe/germany-antiislam-protests-biggest-pegida-march-ever-in-dresden-as-rest-of-germany-shows-disgust.

  5. 5.

    Daniel Pipes, “Why the Paris massacre will have Limited Impact,” National Review Online. Last modified, November 14, 2015. Date accessed: November 15, 2015. http://www.meforum.org/5628/paris-massacre-impact.

  6. 6.

    Tausch, op. cit., p. 4.

  7. 7.

    David von Drehle, “The European Front,” Time, January 26, (2015), pp. 18–19.

  8. 8.

    Aaron Brown, “‘Just wait…’ Islamic state reveals it has smuggled thousands of extremists into Europe,” D aily Express. Last modified September 10, 2015. Date accessed: September 14, 2015. http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/55434/Islamic-State-ISIS-Smuggler-Thousands-Extremists-into-Europe-Refugees.

  9. 9.

    Daniel Pipes, “IS Attacks on the West,” The Washington Times. Last modified, May 22, 2015. Date accessed: June 4, 2015. http://www.meforum.org/5255/IS-attacks-the-west.

  10. 10.

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  11. 11.

    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Paris Was Not About Religion,” Time, January 26, 2015.

  12. 12.

    Pipes, “IS Attacks on the West,” op. cit.

  13. 13.

    Ibid.

  14. 14.

    Brian Bennett, “FBI directors says Islamic State poses greater threat to U.S. than Al Qaeda,” LA Times. Last modified, July 22, 2015. Date accessed: July 28, 2015. http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-fbi-comey20150722-story.html.

  15. 15.

    Gordon and Schmitt, op. cit.

  16. 16.

    Ibid.

  17. 17.

    Ben Hubbard, “Offering services, IS Digs in Deeper in Seized Territories,” The New York Times. Last modified, June 16, 2015. Date accessed: June 17, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/world/middleeast/offering-services-IS-ensconces-itself.

  18. 18.

    Al-Tamimi, “The Evolution in Islamic State Administration: The Documentary Evidence,” op. cit.

  19. 19.

    Barnard and Arango, “Using Violence and Persuasion, IS Makes Political Gains,” op. cit.

  20. 20.

    Weiss and Hassan, “ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,” op. cit., p. 207.

  21. 21.

    Ibid., p. 200.

  22. 22.

    Ibid., p. 207.

  23. 23.

    Ibid., pp. 205–206.

  24. 24.

    Atwan, “When it comes to ‘Islamic State,’ the West just doesn’t get it,” op. cit.

  25. 25.

    Ibid.

  26. 26.

    ADF, “Feature: IS moves into Africa,” Defence Web. Last modified, July 29, 2015. Date accessed: August 3, 2015. http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=401.

  27. 27.

    Hubbard, “Offering services, IS Digs in Deeper in Seized Territories,” op. cit.

  28. 28.

    ADF, “IS moves into Africa,” op.cit.

  29. 29.

    John Hall, “IS controls as many as 90,000 Twitter accounts which it uses to spread sick propaganda and radicalise Westerners, terror experts reveal,” Mail Online. Last modified, March 6, 2015. Date accessed: July 10, 2015. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2982673/IS-controls-90000-twitter-accounts-which-it-uses-to-spread-sick-propaganda-and-radicalise-westerners-terror-experts-reveal.html.

  30. 30.

    Bennett, “FBI director says Islamic State poses greater threat to U.S. than Al Qaeda,” op.cit.

  31. 31.

    Weiss and Hassan, “ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,” op. cit., p. 173.

  32. 32.

    Ibid., p. 170.

  33. 33.

    Quoted in Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger, ISIS: The State of Terror. (London: William Collins, 2015), p. 147.

  34. 34.

    ADF, “IS moves into Africa,” op. cit.

  35. 35.

    “The Islamic State: The propaganda war,” The Economist, Last modified, August 15, 2015. Date accessed: August 17, 2015. http://www.economist.come/news/middle-east-and-africa/21660989-terrorists-vicious.

  36. 36.

    Ibid.

  37. 37.

    Ibid.

  38. 38.

    Whitman, “Islamic State Recruitment: IS Seeks Fighters from Caucasus, Central Asia and Indonesia,” op. cit.

  39. 39.

    Gordon and Schmitt, op. cit.

  40. 40.

    Whitman, “Islamic State Recruitment: IS Seeks Fighters from Caucasus, Central Asia and Indonesia,” op. cit.

  41. 41.

    Emine Saner, “Mundane reality of martyrs,” Mail and Guardian, July 31 – August 6, 2015. Vol. 31 No. 31, p. 16.

  42. 42.

    ADF, “IS moves into Africa,” op. cit.

  43. 43.

    Ibid.

  44. 44.

    Atwan, “When it comes to ‘Islamic State,’ the West just doesn’t get it,” op. cit.

  45. 45.

    Paul Tilsley, “South Africa increasingly seen as key ISIS pipeline for jihadis, cash,” Fox News. Last modified, October 3, 2015. Date accessed: October 10, 2015. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/10/03/south-africa-increasingly-isis-pipeline-for-jihadis-cash.

  46. 46.

    Quoted in Hussein Solomon, “South Africa and the Islamic State,” op. cit., p. 1.

  47. 47.

    Tilsley, op. cit.

  48. 48.

    “Nigeria ‘blocks recruitment’ by Islamic State,” Starr FM Online. Last modified, August 11, 2015. Date accessed August 12, 2015. http://starrfmonline.com/1.5908766.

  49. 49.

    Ibid.

  50. 50.

    Ibid.

  51. 51.

    Colin Freeman and Hassan Morajea, “Tunisia-Gunman: The gunman who loved Facebook and Real Madrid,” The Sunday Telegraph. June 28, 2015, p. 2.

  52. 52.

    “The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a massacre in a Tunisian seaside resort that killed nearly 40 people, most of them British tourists, in the worst attack in the country’s recent history,” France24.com. Date accessed: July 1, 2015. http://www.france24.com/en/20150627-is-group-tunisia-massacre-sousse.

  53. 53.

    Freeman and Morajea, op.cit.

  54. 54.

    Ibid.

  55. 55.

    Alessandra Bruno, “Tunisia’s Terrorism Problem Goes Beyond Islamic State,” Geopolitical Monitor. Last modified, July 14, 2015. Date accessed: July 15, 2015. http://geopoliticalmonitor.com/tunisias-terrorism-problem-beyond-islamic-state.

  56. 56.

    Daniel Cohen and Danielle Levin, “How IS Gained Traction in the Middle East,” Forbes. Last modified, August 10, 2015. Date accessed: August 12, 2015. http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2015/08/10/how-IS-gained-traction-in-the-middle-east.

  57. 57.

    Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, “Tunisia’s security crisis and government’s inability to cope,” AMEC Insights. Briefing No. 13/2015. July 27, 2015, p. 2.

  58. 58.

    Tarek Fatah, “Face Reality: Many Muslims Support IS,” The Toronto Sun. Last modified, June 16, 2015. Date accessed: June 17, 2015. http://www.meforum.org/5331/many-muslims-support-IS.

  59. 59.

    Ibid.

  60. 60.

    Von Drehle, op. cit., p. 18.

  61. 61.

    Kimiko de Freyas-Tamura, “Junaid Hussain, IS Recruiter, Reported Killed in Airstrike,” The New York Times. Last modified, August 27, 2015. Date accessed: August 31, 2015. http://www.nyimes.com/2015/08/28/world/middleeast/junaid-hussain-islamic-state-recruiter.

  62. 62.

    Atwan, “When it comes to ‘Islamic State,’ the West just doesn’t get it,” op. cit.

  63. 63.

    Abukar, op. cit.

  64. 64.

    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Paris Was Not About Religion,” Time, January 26, 2015, p. 15.

  65. 65.

    Scott Bronstein and Drew Griffin, “Self-funded and deep-rooted: How ISIS makes its millions,” CNN. Last modified, October 7, 2014. Date accessed: November 26, 2014. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/06/world/meast/isis-funding.

  66. 66.

    “Islamic State Group Now Controls Key Drug Trafficking Routes,” teleSUR. Last modified, July 30, 2015. Date accessed: September 19, 2015. http://www.telesur.tv.net/english/news/Islamic-State-Group-Now-Controls-Key-Drug-Trafficking.

  67. 67.

    Ibid.

  68. 68.

    Ibid.

  69. 69.

    Sarah Almukhtar, “IS Finances are Strong,” New York Times. Last modified, May 19, 2015. Date accessed: June 2, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/19/world/middleeast/IS-finances.html.

  70. 70.

    Al-Tamimi, “The Evolution in Islamic State Administration: The Documentary Evidence,” op. cit.

  71. 71.

    Ben Hubbard, “IS Appears to Destroy 2 Palmyra Tombs, Flaunting Wreckage in Photos,” The New York Times. Last modified, June 24, 2015. Date accessed: July 1, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/25/world/middleeast/islamic-state-IS-destroys-palmyra.

  72. 72.

    ADF, “IS moves into Africa,” op. cit.

  73. 73.

    Ibid.

  74. 74.

    Von Drehle, op. cit., p. 18.

  75. 75.

    Bronstein and Griffin, “Self-funded and deep-rooted: How ISIS makes its millions, op. cit.

  76. 76.

    Ibid.

  77. 77.

    Harriet alexander and Alastair Beach, “How ISIL is funded, trained and operating in Iraq and Syria,” The Telegraph. Last modified, August 23, 2014. Date accessed: November 20, 2014. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11052919/How-Isil-is-funded-trained-and-operating-in-Iraq-and-Syria.html.

  78. 78.

    “ISIS Got Up to $45 million in Ransoms in Past Year, UN Says,” Time Magazine. Date accessed: November 26, 2014. http://time.com/3605061/isis-ransom-united-nations.

  79. 79.

    Bronstein and Griffin, “Self –funded and deep-rooted: How ISIS makes its millions,” op. cit.

  80. 80.

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  81. 81.

    Tilsley, op. cit.

  82. 82.

    Nabeelah Shaikh, “Focus on ISIS is R78m airport probe,” Independent Online. Last modified, September 20, 2015. Date accessed: September 28, 2015. http://mobi.iol.co.za/#!/focus-on-isis-in-r78m-airport-probe-1.918566.

  83. 83.

    Al-Tamimi, “The Evolution in Islamic State Administration: The Documentary Evidence,” op. cit.

  84. 84.

    Almukhtar, op. cit.

  85. 85.

    Weiss and Hassan, “ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,” op. cit., p. 124.

  86. 86.

    Ibid., p. 126.

  87. 87.

    Ibid., pp. 128–129.

  88. 88.

    Alexander and Beach, “How ISIL is funded, trained and operating in Iraq and Syria,” op. cit.

  89. 89.

    Tim Arango and Anne Barnard, “With Victories, IS Dispels Hope of a Swift Decline,” The New York Times, Last modified, May 23, 2015. Date accessed: June 2, 2015. http://nytimes.com/2015/05/24/world/middleeast/with-victories-IS-dispels-hope-of-a-swift-decline.html.

  90. 90.

    Ibid.

  91. 91.

    Ibid.

  92. 92.

    Ibid.

  93. 93.

    Ibid.

  94. 94.

    Ibid.

  95. 95.

    Ibid.

  96. 96.

    Ibid.

  97. 97.

    Jonathan Spyer, “Dispatch from Iraq: Iran-Backed Militias Keep IS at Bay, for a Price,” The Australian. Last modified, July 4, 2015. Date accessed: July 8, 2015. http://www.meforum.org/5365/iraq-iran-militia-IS.

  98. 98.

    Tim Arango, “IS Suicide Attack Kills 2 Iraqi Generals Near Ramadi,” The New York Times, Last modified, August 27, 2015. Date accessed: August 31, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/28/world/middleeast/iraq-IS-suicide-attack-ramadi.html.

  99. 99.

    Ibid.

  100. 100.

    Libya profile – Timeline, BBC. Last modified, May 27, 2015. Date accessed: June 2, 2015. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13766445.

  101. 101.

    Ibid.

  102. 102.

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  103. 103.

    “Suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State in western Libyan city kills five: official,” Reuters, Last modified, May 31, 2015. Date accessed: June 2, 2015. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/31/us-libya-security-idUSKBN0OG09220150531.

  104. 104.

    Zway and Kirkpatrick, op. cit.

  105. 105.

    “Libya fears Iraq-like IS scenario,” News 24.com. Last modified, June 2, 2015. Date accessed: June 2, 2015. http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Libya-fears-Iraq-like-IS-scenario-20150601.

  106. 106.

    Islamic state militants in Libya seize Sirte airport, BBC. Last modified, May 29, 2015. Date accessed: June 2, 2015. http://www.bbc.com.news/world-world-africa-32935412.

  107. 107.

    Tomlinson, op. cit.

  108. 108.

    Simon Allison, “Think Again – too late to start worrying about the Islamic State in Africa,” ISS Africa. October 7, 2014.

  109. 109.

    Quoted in Michael J. Totten, “The IS of Africa,” World Affairs Journal. Date accessed: March 10, 2015. http://worldaffairsjournal.org.

  110. 110.

    Quoted in Adam Chandler, “Tunisia After the Museum Attack,” The Atlantic. Last modified, April 1, 2015. Date accessed: April 1, 2015. www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/tunisia-in-bardos-aftermath/389039.

  111. 111.

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  112. 112.

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  113. 113.

    “The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a massacre in a Tunisian seaside resort that killed nearly 40 people, most of them British tourists, in the worst attack in the country’s recent history,” France24.com. Last modified, June 27, 2015. Date accessed: June 27, 2015. http://www.france24.com/en/20150627-is-group-tunisia-massacre-sousse.

  114. 114.

    Jamey Keaten and Paul Schemm, “Islamic State claims responsibility for Tunisia attack,” Associated Press. Last modified, March 30, 2015. Date accessed: April 1, 2015. http://wfsb.com/story/28558893/islamic-state-claims-responsibility-for-tunisia-attack.

  115. 115.

    Ted Thornhill, “Children’s worker reveals how mother’s suicide helped turn the Kouachi brothers from ‘sweet young boys’ into infamous Islamist murderers,” Mail Online. Last modified, January 19, 2015. Date accessed: September 12, 2015. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2916450/Chidren-s-worker-reveals-Kouachi-brother-s-sweet-young-boys-infamous-Islamists-murderers.html.

  116. 116.

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  117. 117.

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  118. 118.

    Von Drehle, op. cit., p. 18.

  119. 119.

    Ibid.

  120. 120.

    Ibid.

  121. 121.

    Ibid.

  122. 122.

    Tom Parfitt, “ISIS claims Paris attacks as Revenge for Syrian airstrikes and insulting Islam’s prophet,” Sunday Express. Last modified, November 15, 2015. Date accessed: November 15, 2015. http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/619363/Islamic-State-ISIS-Twitter-Paris-attacks.

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    Hussein Solomon

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Solomon, H. (2016). Accounting for Islamic State’s Appeal and Resilience. In: Islamic State and the Coming Global Confrontation. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30719-0_2

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