Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Essay Example

The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, also known as ISIS, is an extremist group that is growing in strength and presence. The growing concern with ISIS’s reign of terror has made them a significant part of our daily news. It is important to understand the organization and how it operates. ISIS is growing in strength daily, and their causes are becoming more and more dangerous. The group’s origin, ideologies, and goals leave individuals rightly worried about very serious threats that ISIS imposes. In addition, the funding has no limitations posing an even greater threat to anyone in its path. Isis is one of the most powerful and dangerous extremist groups who pose a significant threat to the world with their religious and political agendas.

ISIS’s Origins, Ideology, Goals & Objectives

ISIS’s origin stems back decades to the reign of Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden. The extremist group may have changed in name, but the power in which it exists is still extremely dangerous. The group is growing in numbers daily, and their goals and objectives are expansive as well. “The Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), follows a distinctive variety of Islam whose beliefs about the path to the Day of Judgment matter to its strategy, and can help the West know its enemy and predict its behavior” (Wood, 2015). The religious goals may be present, but they it is not the only governing force behind the group’s objectives. They are also motivated by power and to challenge anyone who opposes their missions.

ISIS ideology is based upon their God the doctrine that dictates expectations not only for them, but for all societies. ISIS stands for their religion by stating:

All Muslims acknowledge that God is the only one who knows the future. But they also agree that he has offered us a peek at it, in the Koran and in narrations of the Prophet. The Islamic State differs from nearly every other current jihadist movement in believing that it is written into God’s script as a central character. It is in this casting that the Islamic State is most boldly distinctive from its predecessors, and clearest in the religious nature of its mission (Wood, 2015).

There is no arguing that ISIS has a strong religious base. However, their origins, ideology, goals and objectives are tainted at times and fail to show the religious considerations as they claim they are supporting.

Leadership, Funding, and Capabilities

ISIS was originally founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The group’s origin started as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). The Islamic State fought against the American forces after the fall of their leader Saddam Hussein. In 2013, they joined the Syrian Civil War. Their focus was not on fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime, but to build their Islamic state. The Islamic State declared their new establishment of Islamic caliphates on June 29, 2014. Their leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The groups funding goes hand in hand with their capabilities. “[ISIS] has amassed wealth at an unprecedented pace and its revenue sources have a different composition from those of many other terrorist organizations.” ISIS doesn’t “depend principally on moving money across international borders,” he said, but “obtains the vast majority of its revenues from local criminal and terrorist activities.” (Giovanni et al., 2014). Their wealth gives them the means to continue on with their cause, recruit new members and continue growing. Their financial portfolio is lucrative and broad. “Highly localized and multiple revenue streams feed the terrorist organization’s coffers—generating up to $6 million a day, according to Masrour Barzani, head of Kurdish Intelligence and the Kurdistan Regional Security Council” (Giovanni et al., 2014). The financial capacity of ISIS is growing on a daily basis, funding their movement and allowing them to continue on with their missions.

The group has secret smuggling routes that have been passed down through the generations. These routes were well-secured during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and provided a well-secured option for economic and personal needs. The baksheesh system provided border guards who were entrenched in the culture. As a result, they would not acknowledge the trucks of goods, oil, or cash that went through their checkpoints. The smugglers who used the route during Saddam’s ruling, which created paths from Kuwait, Turkey, and Iran. They are the same routes ISIS is using today. ISIS operates with greed and fear allowing them to control millions of people. It also manifests the financial activities necessary for ISIS to continue their reign of power and terror.

Operating/support Location, Personnel strengths, Training Programs, and Communications Methods

The operation support location is predominantly in the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. They have established their territory and basis of operation with the surrounding areas. The location of ISIS followers have continued to spread all over the world. New recruits are joining all the time, and the use of social media has broadened the location drastically. The communication methods within the group are believed to be through traditional methods, phone, email, and media. The CIA has done a substantial amount of surveillance in which they have intercepted ISIS communication. However, we are not naive enough to believe that they don’t utilize alternate forms of communication knowing they are under the radar with many other countries.

The boys who are recruited for training are typically between 10 and 12; however, they have had some as young as 6. They are trained in the basic Sharia law and on how to use the weapons. The training allows the boys to hear the sounds of machine guns, missiles, and explosions. They have to get used to the artillery and aircraft. The boys also have to adjust to seeing blood. It is a vital part of their mission. The training also gets more gruesome for their young recruits. “They use dolls to teach them how to behead people, then they make them watch a beheading, and sometimes they force them to carry the heads in order to cast the fear away from their hearts” (Wagner, 2014). The training lasts between two and four weeks. They take the strongest graduates into war immediately. The training is considered to be the most extreme form of brainwashing. “It has been done for the same reason that Hitler had the Hitler Youth. That’s effectively what we see here – military training and ideological training” (Wagner, 2014). Training is a vital part of the ISIS process to grow bigger and stronger.

Weapons/ Lethal Agents, Delivery Methods, Propaganda, and Surveillance Methods

ISIS has a very strict regimen for planning their attacks. They are carefully planned and determined for the best potential outcome of the attack. Many weapons have been smuggled in through Turkey. Istanbul is a main outlet for funding terrorism and supplying them with the weapons and supplies necessary for ISIS to remain dominant. The delivery methods are typically the trucks that smuggle in the necessary supplies through the secret routes that have been established for decades. They have access to unlimited weapons, money, and other lethal agents in which they use to promote their cause. There is most likely other delivery methods; however, this is one of the most known and commonly utilized by ISIS.

The surveillance of ISIS is vast; however, we do not know the extent of their capacity. The United States have been tracking their emails, phone, conversations, and activities via drones and other methods; however, it is not known the extent of their surveillance capacity. With the amount of money that ISIS has, and their worldwide reach, it is assumed that they have the latest and greatest surveillance capacity. In efforts to maintain the power that they built, they have to know what threats they are facing at all times.

The propaganda of ISIS is broad. “While the group hasn’t exactly followed Zawahiri’s counsel about winning hearts and minds, it has proven fantastically adept at exploiting new social media to disseminate its message. Indeed, it is no exaggeration—although it may now be clichéd—to say that as well as being one of the most savage terrorist groups in the world today, ISIS also has the slickest propaganda” (Cottee, 2015). Media is one of their strongest propaganda. They show their power and extreme rage by publicly showing it to the world. The videos of them beheading religious individuals and others who challenge their religious and political power have gone viral. “It’s media arm Al ?ayat has produced hundreds of films, ranging from three-minute beheading videos to hour-long features improbably combining elements of travelogue, historical documentary, and atrocity porn” (Cottee, 2015). The power of their propaganda is elevated through their continual use of media to promote their causes.

ISIS has its own narrative. The group’s actions are not superficial, they are immensely rich. “The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence estimates that of the 20,000 or more foreign jihadists believed to have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq, around 100 are from the United States” (Cottee, 2015). The fighters may have been persuaded to join a cause that is naïve, but their sacrifices were for a greater cause. People who join ISIS are trying to find an answer or a path to do something more meaningful with their lives. ISIS is an extremist group that motivates others to become a part of something bigger than themselves. An opportunity to make a change regardless of the cause.

Isis is one of the most powerful and dangerous extremist groups who pose a significant threat to the world with their religious and political agendas. Their organizational structure has continually grown and new people are joining the movement daily. They pose a significant threat to society because they challenge the freedom of religion and political freedoms. Their violence is the method in which they use to demonstrate their power and dominance for their causes. Through the use of media, they have tormented and killed advocates who did not comply with their beliefs and purposes. The entire nation has viewed the beheadings and murdering of the innocent. ISIS reach is global and their ability to pursued and brainwash their followers has made them extremely dangerous to their society and the United States as well. Based on their careful planning funding and recruitments, the threat of ISIS is only expected to grow and become more dangerous in the future.

References

Cottee, Simon. “Why It’s So Hard to Stop ISIS Propaganda.” The Atlantic. March 2, 2015. Accessed April 25, 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/why-its-so-hard-to-stop-isis-propaganda/386216/.

Giovanni, Janine Di, Leah McGrath Goodman, and Damien Sharkov. “How Does ISIS Fund Its  Reign of Terror?” November 6, 2014. Accessed April 25, 2015. http://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/14/how-does-isis-fund-its-reign-terror-282607.html.

Wagner, Meg. “ISIS Boys’ Camps Teach Kids to Behead People, Fire AK-47s.” NY Daily News. November 7, 2014. Accessed April 25, 2015.   http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/isis-boys-camps-teach-kids-behead-people-fire-k-47s-article-1.2002696.

Wood, Graeme. “What ISIS Really Wants.” The Atlantic. February 15, 2015. Accessed April 25, 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/.