Publication

This brief challenges the questionable belief that the so-called Islamic State is on the verge of collapse. Yes, it’s experiencing a territorial retreat, but it’s also too early to announce its demise. Further, there are follow-on problems that will have to be resolved if and when the group collapses, including post-IS power vacuums; the large economic and military investments that will be necessary to ensure peace; and the IS members that are dispersed outside the core Middle East.