Publication

This analysis overviews the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the reasons for its success in early 2014, which in the last case include 1) the organization's professionalism and pragmatism, 2) it's blatant anti-Shia ideology, and 3) the political turmoil that continues to exist in Syria and Iraq. The analysis concludes that in the long run, ISIS's fierce ideology may alienate the very people it seeks to govern, but for the moment its anti-Shia appeal is falling on receptive Sunni ears.