As far as groups in the Syrian conflict are concerned, it was Jaysh al-Islam, or the Army of Islam, and not the Islamic State or even Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch) who first officially declared war on Russia, or rather on its military presence in Syria. The ...
Dr. Glen Segell
(Fellow – The Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies,University of Haifa, Israel)
The Southern flank of Europe is the Mediterranean Sea. It is a small sea and many countries rely on the freedom of both sea and air traffic for their economy. On the one hand there was optimism that the Arab Spring would bring greater freedom for the individual in countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. There was further optimism that the North African countries of Tunisia...
Patrick Adams (Strategic Analyst & RIEAS Research Associate)
A victory for the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria would have a wide range of economic, social and political consequences. Economically, there would be a significant and damaging effect on the world's oil supply. Socially, not only would Iraq and Syria be affected but any country with a ...
... Interests Does the Caliphate Serve?
What is the Islamic State movement and who supports the establishment of a caliphate and Caliph Ibrahim in the 21st century, calling all Muslims in the world to submit to it and join the jihad? What challenges are Syria and Iraq facing amidst terrorist attacks by the Islamic State and aerial bombing by the United States and its NATO allies? The American tactic of fighting militants from the self-proclaimed caliphate appears unlikely to be effective. Given the abundance ...
... Pimodan
(Author based in the Middle East)
Al Baghdadi's major strategic failure has been his choice of the Fertile Crescent as the region for the establishment of his Khilafa. His dream of reestablishing a Sunni caliphate with roots in Iraq and Syria will eventually be crushed by the field's realities and only exposes his own lack of knowledge about the region. Not that a Sunni leadership would be impossible to carry on the lands of the ancient Omayyad and Abbasid's caliphates,...