... instability in these regions do not lead to an ISIS 2.0.
It is in this context that international actors need to learn the lesson of Iraq. Any diplomatic agreement to end the conflict in Syria should ensure that the grievances and drivers that lead to the revolt in the first place are not ignored. Only an inclusive and more transparent Syria and Middle East more broadly will be able to counter the ideological threat posed by ISIS and other terrorist organizations, which feed on conflict, exclusion and authoritarianism.
... comparison, Chechnya is nearly ten times smaller than the area controlled by ISIS.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria went far beyond the operational scope of its predecessor, Al-Qaeda, establishing control over a large territory in northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria, and creating proto-state institutions of authority. This reality is especially disturbing for the United States, which is bound by its Middle Eastern network of alliances to deter ISIS, but at the same time suffers from a twelve-year war-weariness and is not ready to conduct a full-scale counter-terrorist operation. Still, even more disturbing is the evidence of how similar the current instability in Iraq and Syria is with the ...