ARAB SPRING AND THE RISE OF ISIS

First Slide: Brief Background of ISIS

ISIS considers itself the "Islamic Caliphate" (a theological empire) and controls vast swathes of
land in western Iraq and eastern Syria. They also have "allegiance" from different radical Islamic
groups around the world (from Afghanistan to Nigeria) who "govern" self-proclaimed provinces.

Second Slide: Within the areas they control they have established a reign of terror second to
none. They also have struck with a vengeance beyond their territories.

Third Slide: You may have heard about ISIS referred to as IS, ISIL, or Daesh. All of these
acronyms describe the group in question.

- ISIS: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria was the name of the group when it captured Mosul
in 2014 and became the terrorist juggernaut it is today. They named themselves that to
assert their dominance in Syria (more on that later).
ISIL: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (aka Greater Syria) is the name that Obama
uses to describe the group (pretty much only Obama uses it). Superficially speaking, it is
just a translation thing.
IS: Islamic State is the name the group gave itself after a "rebranding" effort when they
wanted to show off their global strategy (they wouldn't be limited to Syria and Iraq
anymore).
Daesh: You may have heard French President Francois Hollande refer to the group by
this name. This is essentially the Arabic acronym of the group. People assume that using
this word somehow weakens them it doesn't, because unfortunately in this case it is
one of those "sticks and stones" things.

Fourth Slide: Factors that help the rise of ISIS.

a. ISIS was born out of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

b. Arab Spring and the uprising against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
c. ISIS grew in notoriety through an aggressive social media and viral video strategy
that had it engage with sympathizers and glorify violence.

Fifth Slide: How did ISIS grow to become so powerful?

There are a number of forces that can explain its strength.

 - Feelings of disenfranchisement: Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria felt alienated by
Shiite- and Alawite-led governments. ISIS played on these feelings, pushing forward a
sense of victimhood and giving these communities a means to feel in control through
violence.
- Syrian chaos: There is little doubt that as U.S. allies (Saudi Arabia, Qatar ,and Turkey)
ploughed money and arms into the Syrian civil war much of it ended up in the hands of
ISIS (and other jihadi groups).
- Iraqi chaos: After the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, the atrophied Iraqi army was over-
equipped and underprepared (and very corrupt) to deal with ISIS. Much of the
weaponry ended up in ISIS's hands.
- Racketeering and extortion: Before ISIS formally controlled Mosul, it would run a
racketeering business (similar to that used by the U.S. mafia) under the nose of the Iraqi
government.
- Taxation and exploitation: Properties belonging to religious minorities or regime
sympathizers were promptly appropriated (e.g. churches, gold, hard currency).

- Selling oil: It is the Middle East, so oil is always involved.

Sixth Slide: So what now?

Despite a yearlong campaign against ISIS, the group still controls a lot of territory (even
capturing new ground like Palmyra in Syria) and has demonstrated that it can strike in the heart
of the Western world.

As the Syrian civil war closes its fifth year, ISIS seems stronger than ever and the refugee exodus
does not look like it will end. As Western governments try to grapple with the threat of ISIS
terror reaching the Western world, they will feel the pressure to lock out these refugees (who
are also fleeing ISIS).