Thursday, June 2, 2016
GDBB 2- The Rise of ISIS
Use one of the current events sources linked at http://svhs-hwc-fall2016.blogspot.com/2016/06/approved-sources-for-hwc-current-events.html to find at least 2 recent news article that relate to, support, or refute Johnsen's assertion about the emergence and influence of ISIS. Your comment should include the titles of and links to the news article. Then, briefly summarize these articles with an explanation of how these sources relate to the arguments presented in the briefing book. Don't forget to check your rubric for evaluation criteria!
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In the first article the military strategies of the U.S. against ISIS are analyzed. A recent shooting in Orlando by an ISIS individual may open doors to more terroristic attacks against the U.S. Although the U.S. military continues to close in on the ISIS stronghold, their progress is too slow; causing a lack of morale among not only soldiers but among Americans as a whole. In addition, ISIS has been moving very quickly north towards Mosul at a rate that causes difficulty as the U.S. track them. Overall, the Islamic State is a very dangerous group that continues to grow. (“U.S. is making progress against ISIS, but not fast enough for lawmakers” http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2016/0628/US-is-making-progress-against-ISIS-but-not-fast-enough-for-lawmakers)
ReplyDeleteThe second article describes the foundation of the Islamic State. ISIS is based off of the Koran which is an islamic book written by Mohammed that is considered sacred. ISIS was started by Zarqawi who spent several years in jail and began to look deeply into religion. After his release, he was put in charge of an al-Qaeda training camp in Herat. Zarqawi was considered very extreme and was not always liked by other member of al-Qaeda. Although he was killed, ISIS continued to grow. Overall, the theories of the Islamic State are based on the beliefs of those hundreds of years ago. (“Islamic State Group: The Full Story” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35695648)
Both of the articles support the information in Gregory D. Johnsen’s article “The rise of ISIS.” The first article and “The rise of ISIS” both analyze the U.S.’s role in protecting our nation and other nations from the Islamic State. Both the articles analyse the strategy of airstrikes and both come to the understanding that the U.S. is falling behind. The second article supports the article “The rise of ISIS” by describing the history of ISIS. Both sources describe the main principle of the Islamic State as the Koran and that the Islamic State has contained more severe and frequent violence compared to al-Qaeda. In essence, both articles support the idea that the Islamic State is a very dangerous group of terrorists.
ISIS, similarly to other jihadist organizations, relies on technology and social media to promote their extremist ideas. In the past these groups have also planed terror attacks through technology. Encrypted and password protected sites have given ISIS supporters a way to contact other proponents allowing them to help each other plan attacks and “swap terror tips”. Since these sites on the deep web have been encrypted jihadist groups are able to cover their online activity. The main points of the article are that Islamic terrorist groups have been able to contact people in Western countries and radicalize them. It also discusses the simplicity of going unnoticed online and disguising activity on the internet. (“How ISIS avoids digital detection” http://theweek.com/articles/639021/how-isis-avoids-digital-detection)
ReplyDeleteCurrently ISIS is ruling large areas of land along the border between Iraq and Syria. In theses areas they have put systems of slavery and rape into place to punish those who follow the Yazidi religion. Although ISIS is focused on harming Yazidi’s they have also made an effort to kill Christians, Alawites, and Shiites. ISIS began in 2003 during the U.S. invasion of Iraq when de-Baathification of military in Iraq occurred people were unemployed and angry. During this time al Qaeda was able to recruit former military workers and attack U.S. troops in Iraq. Participants in these attacks were put in “Camp Bucca” as prisoners. Unfortunately they were able to build stronger connections with different sections of the terrorist group. Despite these strong relationships, in 2007 it seemed that al Qaeda in Iraq was coming to an end, but the thought of AQI becoming a group of the past was short lived. When Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad turned into an unpopular ruler the AQI saw an opportunity to expand into Syria. Once the group was established in Syria the name changed to The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. The al-Qaeda headquarters did not approve of because the al-Nursa front was a group the rulers of al-Qaeda had been working to set up. The animosity between ISIS and al-Qaeda ended in a war between the organizations and the AQI became one with ISIS. From this point on ISIS was continually getting stronger and began capturing the populous cities of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. ISIS was then able to take over Mosul and reach the borders of Baghdad. The next step for the jihadist group is to force Muslims to follow them. The fight against ISIS has just begun. So far using airstrikes has proved to be the only effective method. The idea of the article is that the AQI and ISIS have been slowly forming for over a decade, but within the past few years the Islamic State has become a larger issue than ever before. (“A brief history of ISIS” http://theweek.com/articles/589924/brief-history-isis)
The first article relates to the tactics used by ISIS on the internet. Although “The rise of ISIS” briefly discusses online activity as a method of radicalizing people it is an important part of the how ISIS recruits and the article “How ISIS avoids digital detection” provides a deeper understanding of the online operations of ISIS. In “The rise of ISIS” most of the article is focused on leaders and the second article gives a background of how ISIS spread across the Middle East.
I'm thrilled you found the briefing on ISIS from The Week. Although its short, it provides a good overview of the terrorist group.
DeleteISIS Crisis
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/opinion/thomas-friedman-isis-crisis.html?_r=0
This article states how ISIS has arisen from the education and beliefs of the Middle East and that they are having trouble fighting ISIS because they themselves hold some of these beliefs. The author agrees with President Obama’s ideas of only using airstrikes and training soldiers to fight ISIS. He believes that the only way to permanently defeat ISIS is by training a group of individuals who can replace ISIS. The author believes this is a war that the Middle East must handle and that only by settling it largely themselves will the issue truly be solved. The author does, however, state that this is difficult with turkey quietly communicating with ISIS and the fact that the countries in the Middle East do not necessarily contain the trained soldiers or resources to go about this war.
Obama:Islamic State will ‘inevitably’ be defeated, but networks will persist
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-islamic-state-will-inevitably-be-defeated-but-networks-will-persist/2016/08/04/18198978-5a5d-11e6-8b48-0cb344221131_story.html
This article is about what Obama believes will be the inevitable demise of ISIS. He states that ISIS is not invincible and that they have not gotten a major win in the last year. He revealed that a recently acquired base in Iraq will be a key point in the fight against ISIS. He continues on to say that he believes Mosul and Raqqa will soon fall and shortly after ISIS as well. He then went on to say that even when ISIS falls there will still be a few groups who continue on their ideals on a smaller scale and that the world must watch out for these such groups. In further news the attack on ISIS has expanded to the Libyan branch and that they are increasing airstrikes against them.
The author in the first article disagrees with Gregory D. Johnsen. He believes that the US’s policy of only using air strikes will help to motivate Middle Eastern people to self evaluate how a group like ISIS arose in their region and then be inspired to fight and destroy them. The article provided an opposing viewpoint to Johnsen’s ideas that the US is not doing enough to be able to stop ISIS. The second article also refutes Johnsen’s claim that the US is not involved enough. The article shows examples of how ISIS is not invincible and how the US is gaining some ground in their efforts. The author illustrates how President Obama is dealing with ISIS and what the President’s opinions are on how they are doing. Overall both articles spoke of how ISIS is a major threat and while they did not give further insight to how ISIS was founded, they did illustrate how the efforts of the US and other countries are affecting ISIS and the Middle East.
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteIn recent years, a terrorist group by the name of "ISIS" has been growing rapidly and turning into one of the most dangerous terror groups in history, and has shown that it can be a very harsh and violent group. In the first article, the author talks about what ISIS really wants and what they are fighting for. The author says that they follow the Qoran and what it says and interpret it differently than what many other muslims say. The article then goes on to explain how this terror group grew to power, stating that Abu musab al Zarqawi, the former head of ISIS, had a background with theft and dug assault, but later on met Osama bin Laden. The article explains that they both had altercations, but was still put in charge of a training camp Herat, western Afghanistan. Zarqawi later went on to make his own terror group under the name of ISIS and when killed, was replaced by Abu-Bakr al Baghdadi. The article then explains how Baghdadi used the Arab spring as a means of recruitment, which eventually made ISIS grow to power.
ReplyDelete"Islamic State group: The full story"
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35695648
The second article further explains what the United States is doing to fight ISIS and how it plans to defeat it. It gives an example of how the United States is targeting ISIS training camps in Sirte, Libya. This shows that President Obama has been using air strikes as a major tactic to defeat ISIS, by targeting their own training camps. The article then goes on to explain that the ISIS leader Abu Nabil was killed in this strike, showing progress in the fight against ISIS.
"The US is now bombing ISIS in Libya
"http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-08-01/us-now-bombing-isis-libya
I picked these two articles because they both support the analysis that Gregory D. Johnsen gave on ISIS. The first article both supports and refutes Johnsens argument. It supports it by giving the reader a general background on ISIS, the leaders and the founders, which all are the same as Johnsens analysis. It refutes his analysis by saying that ISIS grew overnight, which is something that Johnsen disagrees with in his analysis by stating that it took them years to get to this stage. The second article supports Johnsen by stating that the only tactic that president Obama uses is air strikes, which is what Johnsen stated. I picked these two articles because they both support the analysis that Gregory Johnsen gave us while talking about how ISIS grew to power and how it will be defeated.
The first article discusses the death of one of the ISIS leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. On July 26, a US drone killed Hafiz Saeed Khan. Khan was one of the leaders of ISIS and after several deadly attacks by ISIS, recently, a US drone killed Khan. He originally supported the Taliban, but then became a member of ISIS. The location in which Khan was killed, was a location of many ISIS members and trainees. Since Khan was one of the leaders of ISIS, and his death was in a popular location for ISIS members, the U.S. believes his death will have a negative impact on ISIS (Trowbridge). (“U.S. Officials Confirm Death Of Senior ISIS Leader In Afghanistan And Pakistan” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/12/489830363/u-s-officials-confirm-death-of-senior-isis-leader-in-afghanistan-and-pakistan)
ReplyDeleteThe second article discusses the recent liberation of Manbij, Syria. Recently Syrian troops, with the assistance of the U.S., liberated Manbij from ISIS. The Syrian troops struggled immensely to rid Manbij of ISIS: “US-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters fought 73 days to drive IS out of Manbij, close to the Turkish border” (IS conflict: Manbij residents celebrate liberation). The people of Manbij, had been under ISIS rule for over two years, and had been unable to shave, smoke, etc. By liberating Manbij there is no longer a route of direct entrance into Europe, for ISIS members, and the Syrian troops are focusing on liberating Raqqa, Syria next. The success of the liberation of Manbij is providing confidence as troops continue to battle. (“IS conflict: Manbij residents celebrate liberation” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37066304)
In Johsen’s article he mentions how, regardless of the efforts of western nations ISIS continues to grow and spread rapidly. However in both articles, there is direct evidence of the US slowly stopping ISIS. In the first article, the US killed a leader of the terrorist group in one of the most popular locations for ISIS members. This is a major point of success because the death of one of their leaders will most likely, temporarily slow them. In the second article, Syrian troops and the U.S. successfully liberate a Syrian city being held by ISIS. This city also provided an easy route to Europe for ISIS members. While Johsen's statement is true, that many nations did initially struggle, the U.S. and other nations are slowly succeeding in stopping ISIS.
The first article discusses how two different countries in the Middle East fell to ISIS. ISIS had been attacking bases for several days until they give up and leave the base. In a short amount of time ISIS had taken over several places such as: Mosul, Falluja, Ramadi, and Samara. ISIS originally started with taking Iraq and then moved into Syria. ("Two Arab countries fall apart" http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21604230-extreme-islamist-group-seeks-create-caliphate-and-spread-jihad-across)
ReplyDeleteThe second article discusses how ISIS had recently taken the province of Kunduz along with other provinces. Afghanistan is under a political crisis because of all of the attacks. Despite assistance from the United States and the U.K. planes they still are having a difficult time dealing with ISIS. ("Taliban seizes Khanabad in Afghanistan's Kunduz" http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/taliban-seizes-khanabad-afghanistan-kunduz-160820074048659.html).
These two articles both support what Johnsen says about ISIS. Johnsen says that ISIS is expanding there territory into a lot of regions in the Middle East. They continue to expand while the western forces continue to bomb places in the Middle East under ISIS control. The first article states that ISIS is taking over several provinces in the Middle East. The second article agrees with the first and also brings up the point that despite the assistance from other nations, they still struggle to contain ISIS.
This article explains what Donald Trump would do to help defeat ISIS. In contrast to what Johnsen stated, about how the United States refrains from sending troops to fight on ground, Trump explains that he would declare war on the terrorist group. This article explains how Trump wants to defeat ISIS by attacking them on a higher level than just air striking them. In the article, a source says: “But Trump is right in thinking we need a new basis to go after ISIS, and also right in thinking we should go after them harder”. Currently, The United States is only bombing what they think are ISIS base camps, but sometimes end up bombing villages instead. Trump also explains that they should “commit forces both ground and air to wipe ISIS off the face of the earth”. (“Trump Wants War Declared on ISIS and ‘Extreme Vetting’ of Immigrants” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/16/us/politics/france-trump-war-declaration-isis.html?_r=0 )
ReplyDeleteThis article explains how ISIS has has the money to afford to attack countries like Syria and Iraq, something that Johnsen does not touch on. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria gets their funding primarily in fuel. ISIS takes control over oil wells and sells them to the governments in Iraq and Syria. The article also states that ISIS relies on raids, taxes, and ransom to be able to finance themselves. ISIS also took money from a bank in Mosul, a city once known as Nineveh. The terrorist group was able to take roughly $500 million . They also were able to acquire weapons from the United States that the Iraqi military left behind when they fled the country in 2014. In addition to these ways to get money, ISIS is also funded by other states, individuals, and in some cases, countries to aid them in their attempt to take over Syria and Iraq, and, potentially more. (“How ISIL became a major force with only a few thousand fighters” http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/6/19/isil-thousands-fighters.html )
These two articles explain some unanswered questions on the rise of ISIS and what is going to be done about it. The first article explains what Donald Trump plans on doing to get rid of ISIS if he were to be elected president. The article states that he will send troops on ground and in air to defeat the terrorist group. The second article explains something that was not really discussed in the article “The Rise of ISIS”, and that is primarily how ISIS got their funding to carry out these violent procedures to reach their goal. The article explains that their funding comes mainly from oil, which they sell to other countries in exchange for money or weapons. Both articles agree with what Jonhsen stated in his and elaborate more on some points mentioned in the GDBB article.
In the first article, tensions are noted between Muslims and France. Muslims on France's beaches are wearing burkinis to the beach (a head and body covering swimsuit). The mayors of multiple towns on beaches have banned the burkini due to it being a sign of extremism, and some people think that the religion is being confused with the terrorists. The Muslims wearing the burkini claim that they are just practicing religion, and it is uncomfortable when the people are making judgements about them based on their clothes. The mayors are relating Muslims to the French terrorist attacks. ("Banned Burkini Highlights Tensions Over French Terrorist Attacks" http://www.npr.org/2016/08/24/491170206/banned-burkini-highlights-tensions-over-french-terrorist-attacks)
ReplyDeleteIn the second article, a man has been charged with preparing terrorist attacks linked to Syria. Partick Kabele is a thirty-two year old man. Kabele was accused of travelling to Syria, and avoiding the Terrorism Act. Kabele was arrested before any damage could be done. ("Man charged with Syria-related terrorist acts" http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37187571)
Both of these articles reference to information in Gregory D. Johnsen's article about ISIS. ISIS was forming as a terrorist group, and they had many steps needed to get to be a terrorist group. Both of these articles discuss terrorists. The first article relates because people are getting fearful and nervous around these Muslims because of recent terrorism and terrorism probably from ISIS. The second article relates because a man was trying to start some terrorist acts, but he got caught. He was trying to start something like ISIS did.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe first article I looked at on ISIS, from The Guardian, talks about John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov's plans to take down ISIS. They plan to use as much diplomacy as possible, in order to get hostile troops to back off so that the political situation in Syria can be solved. They still want to coordinate air strikes against ISIS, but they want to stop the Syrian air force from attacking other rebel groups so that a peaceful solution can be found. The goal being worked towards is to reduce the amount of Syrians being forced away from their homes and other humanitarian crises ("Syria talks: Kerry and Lavrov to thrash out deal on defeating Isis" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/26/syria-talks-kerry-and-lavrov-to-thrash-out-deal-on-defeating-isis).
ReplyDeleteThe second article I looked at, from the Huffington Post, checked Turkey's approach on the problems in Syria/ISIS. Despite the threat that ISIS may pose on all nearby countries, Turkey is still focused on the Kurds, specifically controlling the extreme PKK and limiting the chaos along their Syrian/Iraqi border. Also, Turkey has all eyes on Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish leader blamed the coup attempt on. Gulen is in exile, living in, surprisingly, Saylorsburg ("Turkey In Syria — It Is The Kurds And Gulen, Not ISIS" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-josef-olmert/turkey-in-syria-it-is-the_b_11694980.html).
The first article supports Johnsen's ideas that world powers are beginning to, and will have to, unite to put down ISIS effectively and diplomaticly, to further prevent the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The second article agrees with Johnsen's idea that while ISIS is a problem in the Middle East, many states do not put it as a high priority compared to other problems facing them, and Turkey, which has undergone recent chaos, is no exception.
In the first article, the question of why ISIS was able to come forth so quickly is answered. This article states that the origins of ISIS may have to do with the United States getting involved in an invasion in Iraq to try and bring down Saddam Hussein. ISIS has become stronger and more powerful than when it had begun. Land is being divided and wars have started due to the conflict between ISIS and many other countries. A few of the ISIS leaders found their way while they were in prison, like Gregory D. Johnsen states in Great Decisions. ("Rolling into Town." The Economist, 21 Feb. 2015, www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21644117-how-rise-islamic-state-changing-history-middle-east-rolling-town. Accessed 29 Aug. 2016.)
ReplyDeleteIn the second article, the author states that ISIS was not a spur of the moment group, which they were planning for a long time. ISIS’ goal is to follow the Old Testament and to make one religion and belief. Sayyid Qutb is said to be “the source of all jihadist thought” (Jim Muir). He had contact with the present al-Qaeda leader and his two dozen books explained his ideas for the future of his country. (Muir, Jim. "Islamic State Group: The Full Story." BBC News, BBC, 20 June 2016, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35695648.)
Both of these articles support what Johnsen states in the article “The Rise of ISIS” because he explains the ideas and thought process behind the creation of ISIS. Johnsen also goes into detail about the leadership timeline of ISIS and how those leaders and the thought process connect to al-Qaeda.
The first article from the Washington Post is about ISIS's failed attempt to bomb an Indonesian church. Similarly the Great Decision's article is about ISIS and their violent acts, but it is less specific and does not detail one specific attack. The first article explains how ISIS planned a bomb to explode in a church, but the bomb fizzled out and the attack failed. Throughout the Great Decisions article the author discusses the start of ISIS and leaders of the terrorist group. The articles are similar in that they both discusses ISIS and the group's violent ways.
ReplyDeleteThe second article by The New York Times is about Turkey's relation ship wit ISIS. Turkey vows to "cleanse" the border of ISIS militants after ISIS bombed a wedding in Turkey. The wedding killed 54 people. In Great Decisions the article also talks about violent acts of ISIS, but less on specific ones. The second article focuses on Turkey's vow to get rid of ISIS at it's border. Both articles are focused on ISIS and it's actions.
First Article Title: ISIS-inspired attacker’s bid to bomb Indonesian church fizzles out
First Article Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/08/28/isis-inspired-attackers-bid-to-bomb-indonesian-church-fizzles-out-literally/
Second Article Title: Turkey Vows to Cleanse Islamic State From Border After Wedding Attack
Second Article Link: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/08/22/world/middleeast/22reuters-turkey-blast.html