How and Why Did ISIS Form - Essay Example

How and why did ISIS form? The Islamic of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a terrorist organization, which has establisheditself in both Iraqi and Syrian territory and is considered, especially in the west, as a serious global security threat. The ability of this organization to establish itself as a power to be reckoned with in the Middle East has created a situation where it is able to command the loyalty of thousands of adherents as well as recruit fighters from all over the world. The result has been that ISIS has developed a network that has come to rival terrorist organizations, which have been established longer such as al Qaeda. The power of ISIS has grown over the last three years, especially with the beginning of the Arab Spring, to such an extent that it has been able to directly challenge some governments within the Middle East and make significant territorial and strategic gains against them. These advancements have made it essential for studies to be conducted concerning this organization as well as its rise. ISIS came into existence because of diverse factors, which include political, economic and organizational factors that have turned it from a small jihadist force into a potential state. ISIS was formerly known as al Qaeda in Iraq and it was formed after the American invasion of Iraq as a means of opening an al Qaeda front within this country. As an al Qaeda franchise, this organization took most of its direction from the leadership of the latter and it is through financial support from al Qaeda that it was able to gain a lot of strength within Iraq (Fishman 46). Its founder, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, swore allegiance to al Qaeda and it as under his leadership that this organization was able to build a powerful network within Iraq. However, the United States and its Sunni allies were able to destroy this organization’s influence in Iraq and kill al Zarqawi, essentially eliminating it as a serious threat (Phillips 64). However, the Arab Spring gave this organization a new lease of life as it joined other jihadist groups in Syria in the fight against the Assad government. The result was that it increasingly took on a more radical approach and it came to a point where it came into direct conflict with another al Qaeda affiliate, the al Nusra Front. The conflict between these two groups showed the emerging cracks between al Qaeda in Iraq and the leadership of the al Qaeda organization and this relationship was broken abruptly when the latter broke off all associations because of the extreme and brutal nature of the former. It was under these circumstances that al Qaeda in Iraq formerly became ISIS and went its own way, achieving great success in the battlefield because of its brutal tactics as well as an extremely effective propaganda war, which encouraged many individuals and organizations with similar ideologies to join its ranks. These affiliations made ISIS an extremely influential organization especially among the jihadist groups fighting within Syria, essentially increasing its power. One of the major aims of ISIS is to establish an Islamic caliphate with the intention of uniting all Muslims under one government as was the case during the middle ages. This has been a consistent aim of this organization since al Zarqawi formed it and it is this consistency, which has made it such a formidable force (Simon 71). This is because it has worked towards the achievement of its ambitions by planning and making sure that it takes advantage of the situation on the ground to further its aims. When it found that the al Qaeda leadership was a hindrance to its political aims, ISIS publicly defied it and chose to follow its own path in order to ensure that it had fulfilled its ambitions. The strategic gains that ISIS has made, especially in its capturing of major oil producing areas in Syria, have all been aimed at creating financial means for it to effectively establish a working government. Furthermore, because of the massive revenues that ISIS accrues from selling oil to the Syrian government, it has the revenue needed to pay its fighters better than all other forces in either Syria or Iraq and because of this; its fighters are more motivated. This was a factor in determining its performance against government forces in Iraq where ISIS was able to rout it in Mosul, the country’s second most populous city. Its capture of a swath of Iraqi territory in addition to that it held in Syria allowed the leader of this organization to declare the formation of the caliphate formerly, despite its being an entity whose viability is yet to be seen. Among the biggest factors that have contributed to the rise and continued sustenance of ISIS has been the ongoing sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq. This conflict has made it possible for ISIS to gain recruits from the Sunni community because it has consistently portrayed the political conflict in Iraq as being one between Sunnis and Shias (Hall). The government of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki was predominantly Shia and it more often than not used its dominance to not only arrest and prosecute Sunni protestors who were calling for more inclusiveness in government, but at times also executed them. These circumstances played into ISIS hands because they helped to emphasize the brutal nature of the Shia government as well as its oppression of the Sunni population. The result was that some Sunni tribes chose to form an alliance with ISIS in a bid to either violently overthrow the Iraqi government, or to make such significant gains that their pleas for greater inclusion in the government could be heard and accomplished. ISIS, in order to retain its continued flow of recruits as well as its support within the Iraqi Sunni community, has emphasized and enhanced the rifts that exist between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the country; exploiting them in furthering its aim of being a major player in the country. Therefore, as long as the Shia-Sunni conflict in Iraq continues, there is a high likelihood that ISIS will remain dominant and its power will continue to grow despite the bombing campaign being conducted by the United States and its allies against it. It is important to note that the rise of ISIS to its current position has been as a result of its having an extremely important base within Syria which has ensured that its fighters have a place to replenish their supplies as well as to regroup when need arises (Mazzetti, Schmitt, and Landler). Its holding significant chunks of territory in two different countries allow ISIS to have safe zones from both sides of the conflict and this is especially because the strategies of the Syrian and Iraqi governments against it are not coordinated. In this way, whenever it faces challenges in Iraq, it can simply withdraw to Syria and vice versa. Its capital at Raqqa, Syria is of important strategic significance because it allows ISIS to have almost complete control over the country’s oil production. As a result, the Syrian government has been forced to purchase oil from ISIS in order to facilitate its own war against the rebels. Furthermore, it has been stated in media that this organization runs extortion rackets in the territory it holds and this is done to such an extent that it has managed to establish a consistent source of income. It has managed to establish a system of taxation in its territories, which has also been used to enhance its revenues during this period of conflict. Through ISIS’s establishing a system of attaining massive sources of revenue, it has managed to develop itself into a formidable force since it is able to pay its fighters higher salaries than its opponents while at the same time take on the functions of government, which it would otherwise not have been able to achieve. The large amounts of revenue that it has been able to raise within such a short time have contributed significantly in its success as well as its ability to inspire jihadists from across the world to join its ranks (Ali). The rise of ISIS has been significantly aided by the disorganized nature of its opponents in their fights against it, as seen through its swift advance into Iraq in the early months of 2014. An ISIS force of eight hundred despite its superior numbers, training, as well as weapons essentially routed the Iraqi government force in Mosul, which consisted of some thirty thousand men (Kahl 151). ISIS has proven itself an effective fighting force that is not only well organized but also disciplined and this has aided it in its advance against Iraqi forces. When the Iraqi army withdrew from Mosul and other areas where it has fought ISIS, it ended up leaving behind sophisticated weapons and vehicles that were in its position courtesy of the United States. ISIS has made use of these weapons to achieve and solidify its advances both in Iraq and Syria and this has been detrimental to its opponents. In Syria, the government is fighting a war on multiple fronts against rebels and this has made it unable to counter the advancements of ISIS within Syrian territory. The Syrian military during the peaceful period would have been more than capable of fighting ISIS but because it has been overstretched by the civil war, its capabilities are currently quite limited and this has allowed ISIS a free hand in some parts of the country. Furthermore, the Syrian effort in fighting ISIS has been hampered by the fact that the latter currently controls most of the oil production in the country, thus holding the Syrian government hostage. In conclusion, ISIS began its career as a branch of al Qaeda in Iraq but during the Syrian civil war, as a result of ideological disputes with the main al Qaeda leadership, it broke away to pursue its own path. In addition, a factor that has ensured its continued strength has been its ability to remain consistent in its aim of creating a caliphate; an aim that it is attempting to bring to reality in the territories that it controls. Moreover, the sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims has helped the rise of ISIS because it has declared itself to be the defender of the latter against Shias. In addition, its control of territory which contains oil production in Syria has allowed it to have unlimited revenues to fund its operations against opponents. Finally, the highly disorganized nature of its opponents has created a vacuum that it has readily filled as it works towards creating a new Islamic caliphate. Works Cited Ali, Abdallah Suleiman. "Global jihadists recognize Islamic State". Al-Monitor, 3 July 2014. Web. 1 December 2014 Fishman, Brian. "Using the mistakes of al Qaedas Franchises to undermine its strategies." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 618 (2008): 46–54. Hall, Benjamin. "ISIS joins forces with Saddam loyalists in bid to take Baghdad". Fox News Channel, 23 June 2014. Kahl, Colin H. "When to Leave Iraq: Walk Before Running." Foreign Affairs 87.4 (2008): 151–154. Mazzetti, Mark, Schmitt, Eric, and Landler, Mark. "Struggling to Gauge ISIS Threat, Even as U.S. Prepares to Act." The New York Times, 10 September 2014. Web. 1 December 2014 Phillips, Andrew. "How al Qaeda lost Iraq." Australian Journal of International Affairs 63.1 (2009): 64–84. Simon, Steven. "The Price of the Surge: How U.S. Strategy Is Hastening Iraqs Demise." Foreign Affairs 87.3 (2008): 57–72. Read More