Introduction Through recent years the uprising of the radical Islamic terrorist group, ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has been gaining worldwide concern and attention. According to “ISIS Fun Facts” an article on CNN, ISIS has been creating an Islamic State across Iraq, Syria, and the entire world. They are applying Sharia law, the body of Islamic law, because they want to establish a society that goes along the lines of the region's ancient past. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, has gained authority over many of the world's muslims(Laub,2016). The total number of people fighting for ISIS is uncertain, but it is said to be between 20,000 to 31,500(Windrem,2016). Laub also stated that the extremist group has …show more content…
been responsible for attacking holy sites and creating extreme violence throughout the world, including terrorist attacks and suicide bombings. As Isis continues to grow and become more lethal, it leaves one questioning: how are they succeeding to recruit more members, how are they funding their terrorism, where is their weaponry coming from, and how is the United States fighting them. Recruitment of ISIS As ISIS continues to grow and become more lethal, one questions how they are succeeding to recruit more members. ISIS is successful in recruiting young people to join its cause because they manipulate recruits and understand how to lure people in using social media(Alfred,2015). The leaders of ISIS, with their warped and sick agenda, recruit young men who are desperate, improvised, and poor. One misconception is that all Muslims are a part of this extremist group, when in fact this is a false assumption(McNamara,2016). According to “ISIS By the Numbers: Foreign Fighter Total Keeps Growing,” an article in NBC News, the total of foreign fighters joining ISIS continues to grow and 90 countries are supplying them with fighters. ISIS is succeeding to convert people, and many are not natural-born Muslims. They do this through brainwashing and propaganda. They use social media to attract members through videos and pictures of their groups recruitments. They are on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to attract the younger generations. ISIS is becoming more powerful, and with these tools, they are becoming harder to stop(Masi,2014). Money and Weaponry Another aspect one questions as ISIS continues to grow and become more lethal, is how are they funding their terrorism and where is there weaponry coming from.
ISIS used to be funded by wealthy donors and charities across the Middle East, but acording to “today ISIS is mostly funding itself through oil sales, kidnap ransoms, smuggling, extortion, taxes, looting, and bank robberies.” Some wealthy individuals from the Persian gulf still contribute but not nearly as much as past years(Brooks-Pollock,2016). ISIS main source of income appears to be the sale of oil(Swanson,2015). According to an estimate in 2015 published in Newsweek, ISIS has raised around 40 million dollars from wealthy donors in the past two years, but “ISIS’s oil income can vary between $1.5 million and $3.6 million a day”. Not only are people worried about where ISIS is getting it’s money but also their weaponry. They are taking possession of large amounts of weaponry after seizing governments territory. Also most of the ammunition that ISIS is using is either made in America, China, or Russia(Brooks-Pollock,2016). Unlike many terrorist groups, which finance themselves mainly through wealthy donors, ISIS uses control over a large territory and millions of people to develop an income. The Islamic State generates and spends within its own territory and tries to avoid international finances which makes it harder for the U.S to
control(Swanson,2015). U.S Involvement Also as Isis continues to grow and become more lethal, one questions how the United States is fighting ISIS. Several military powers are contributing for the fight against ISIS including the United States, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, some Arab countries, and the Kurds(Frantz,2015). President Barack Obama said the U.S. military is hitting the Islamic State “harder than ever”(Hunter,2015). Frantz states that “The United States and its coalition partners have targeted ISIS with 8,216 airstrikes -- 5,383 in Iraq and 2,833 in Syria, through November 16, 2015 the Pentagon says.” One of things the U.S. is focusing on is the terrorist group’s top leaders and has taken out Abu Sayyaf and Mohammed Emwazi, “who brutally murdered Americans and others,” the president Obama said(Hunter,2015). The U.S is leading the charge to try and defeat ISIS by organizing airstrikes and join with other nations to supply ground troops(Westcott,2016). Predictions What's predicted for the future of ISIS? The unstable Middle East remains constant. It will be a bad year for ISIS in Iraq and Syria because they will lose territory in both and run low on assets, which will hurt them financially. The West will continue to experience Islamist-inspired attacks predicting less in the U.S., and possibly more in Europe(Singer,2015). It is predicted that the U.S and other coalition will intensify their fight against ISIS. Hillary Clinton said it was time to "intensify and broaden our efforts to smash the would-be caliphate and deny ISIS control of territory in Iraq and Syria." With that being said, The Obama administration is asking for more than $7 billion which is a 35 percent increase in the 2017 budget for the fight against ISIS. According to an unnamed official who spoke to the Washington Post, the U.S will "continue looking for ways to increase coalition pressure on ISIL"(Schatz,2016).
Throughout Junot Díaz's novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the text poses concerns with narrative viewpoints, familial history of the Dominican Republic, and most importantly, specifies characters. Díaz introduces characters who are present throughout the entire novel, and others who appear only briefly. Isis, in particular, holds a special place in the novel. Before Díaz introduces Isis, we are introduced to many of her family members who maintain family traditions in both the United States and the Dominican Republic. The order of the text enhances our understanding of Isis as a character. Isis stands out as the next generation of her family by living in a familiar place, New York. Isis, a minor character in The Brief Wondrous Life
In addition, Byman argues that “drones have devastated al Qaeda and associated anti-American militant groups... and they have done so at little financial cost” (Byman 1). In the article, Byman compares the financia...
For approximately the past three decades, a terrorist group has come to plague the world with its activities (Gunaratna, 2002). This group is known as Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda, when translated means “The Base”. It is a terrorist organization that seeks to remove western influence from the Middle East and spread its radical Islamic views. Al Qaeda’s most prominent leader was Osama bin Laden, until his death during a raid upon his compound in Pakistan. The Al Qaeda’s motivation stems primarily from extreme and deeply rooted religious beliefs. Their most used method of attack is through suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices. This organization has also used chemical warfare and at this time is believed to still actively seek to utilize chemical and biological agents as means to battle.
Since 2014 these groups have been on the rise with a 40% increase of 142,500 reported crimes since the first six months of 2016 (Kern, 2016). Of greater concern are the obvious increases in terror attacks in the EU, specifically in France, Germany and Belgium, host nations for a majority of the migrant populations. In 2015, Paris experienced the Charlie Hebdo attack and ended with the Paris nightclub attack in which more than 150 were killed and 300 injured. In 2016, there have been a significant increase in terror attacks in Europe. The Brussels Airport bombing, the Nice truck attack as well as knife attacks in Germany. Added to this is the threats of future attacks in statements by ISIS leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, as coalition forces fight to retake key strongholds from the Islamic State, but failed to secure the surrounding areas controlled by ISIS allowing an untold number of IS fighters to escape and enter into the EU with the flow of
According to Money Laundering: A Guide for Criminal Investigators, terrorist financing originates from four sources: criminal activity, legitimate or semi legitimate business, government or state sponsorship and charitable contributions or donations (Madinger, 279). Contrary to public belief, many terrorist organizations solicit money directly from the local community. By soliciting donations and contributions, the organization is able to legitimately raise money for their operations. In addition, the role of states sponsoring terrorism through monetary contributions continues to be a growing threat. According to the US State Department, countries that are currently directly sponsoring terrorism include: Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria (US State Department). In an effort to elude detection from authorities and to continue funding their organizations, terrorists also finance themselves through legitimate businesses. The Provisional Irish Republican Army oper...
aims. This is because in most cases, it is the only way they can be
every day there is something on the news about a terrorist attack somewhere in the world. The threat is real, but the biggest threat is ISIS. Countries all around the globe are preparing for, or fighting, a war against ISIS. In a world full of many terrorist groups and threats, ISIS is the most powerful. The world needs to better understand what it is, where they attack, and how to stop them.
Sageman, Marc. "The Journal of International Security Affairs The Normality of Global Jihadi Terrorism 2005th ser. Spring.9 (2005). .
Iraqi culture has one of the world’s most ancient history of culture to date. The country of Iraq has dealt with numerous changes throughout the years ranging from war, economy downfall, and environment changes. Many of the issues that arose had to do with the power and decision making of the former President, Saddam Hussein. The country of Iraq is located north of the Persian Gulf and its population is equivalent to that of California. This paper will discuss the economy in Iraq, as well as the Iraqi culture and their military.
*Book Overview:** "Black Flags" is structured chronologically, tracing the origins of ISIS from its roots in al-Qaeda in Iraq to its territorial expansion and eventual decline. Warrick skillfully weaves together historical analysis, firsthand accounts, and geopolitical insights to provide a comprehensive overview of the organization's evolution. While the book offers a detailed examination of ISIS's rise, it avoids overwhelming readers with technical jargon, making it accessible to a wide
Economic and cultural turmoil within a nation always has a source. Iraq, a nation currently suffering violence due to the nation’s history, has been brought to its current state with the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein’s rule. The introduction of the Arab Ba’ath Socialist Party in 1968 led to the promotion of the genocide of the Kurdish citizens living in the nation (“Kurdish Revolt”). The Ba’ath Party blamed many of the non-Arab Kurds for a majority of the problems occurring in the Arab states which resulted in the genocide (“Kurdistan Democratic Party”). This was just part of the extreme ruling methods Saddam Hussein used to maintain power. In addition, Saddam Hussein was extremely manipulative and used this skill to his advantage to gain for his personal self-interest. By not ratifying the the boundaries between Kuwait and Iraq although these boundaries were clearly states within letters between the two governments, it allowed Saddam Hussein to step in and use this to his advantage to take over Kuwait (“Iraq Until the 1958 Revolution”). Saddam Hussein is often known as Saddam Hussein’s ruthless dictatorship of extreme and repressive rule, alliances that ensured the continuation of his control, and his numerous refusals to comply with international regulations prompted foreign involvement against Iraq.
Iraq’s history is one of both prosperity and violence, and dates back to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. While dominated by a variety of civilizations, the region enjoyed a relatively stable society. Since the birth of Islam, the religion has been the dominant cultural belief of the region, and has made its way into the laws and ruling of the region. (InDepth Info, 2010)
The regime of Saddam Hussein began looking like a very promising presidency for the Iraqi people. His goal of absolute domination in the Arab region, turned him into a feared menace among his people. Saddam Hussein was born on April 28, 1937 in Tikrit, Iraq. Hussein’s father, whose occupation was a shepherd, vanished without a trace several months before Saddam was born and he never returned home to Saddam, his brother or his wife. A few months later and after the disappearance of Hussein’s father, his older brother died a terrible death caused by cancer. Saddam’s mother was unable to care for him due to the stress induced anxiety and depression caused by the death of her eldest son, and her missing husband. She was unable to care for Saddam, and at the age three he was sent to Baghdad to live with his uncle, Khairallah Talfah. Saddam would return to Al-Awja years later to live with his mother, but after suffering physical abuse from his stepfather, he fled to Baghdad once again. This influence from Saddam’s childhood made his policies very contradictory in more ways than one, his policies on oil, his abuse of power, and how he treated the people of Iraq could label him as a tyrant. He changed the way the world works today with his use of chemical weapons and abuse of oil.
Terrorist organizations have been committing atrocities against innocent civilians throughout the world for hundreds of years. Terrorism has evolved in many different forms and from various motivations such as religious protest movements, political revolts, and social uprisings. Regardless of the motives for terror, the problem is the financing of terrorism and terrorist organizations themselves. Recent global terrorist attacks using high technology and extensive networks have shown that money is essential to provide the means behind all terrorist activities. Individual terrorists plan terrorist operations and require resources to live, prepare, and implement their plans. The use of money laundering and financial support schemes are the root of the cause. If money laundering were curtailed or even eliminated, and financial supporters of terrorism were identified terrorism would decrease dramatically. To achieve these goals would take monumental efforts. The United States, United Nations and all sovereign nations would need to take cooperative action that has never been accomplished. Terrorism, its' history, concepts, reasoning, methods, and financial roots are object of this research.
I was surprised by reading this letter to learn of all the violent acts that ISIS has participated in. I only knew of some of the things they do that end up on the news, but in reality they do so much more. From the way the media portrays ISIS, I assumed all Muslims were this violent. From reading this article, I was relieved to learn that out of the more than one billion Muslims on the planet only a couple thousand Muslims that are involved in extremist groups. ISIS and other extremist groups do not truthfully represent the Islamic religion. I found it interesting how ISIS have misinterpreted the Quran and the Hadith to justify their actions. That their actions and practices actually contradict what is taught in the Quran and the Hadith.