...Anthony N. Celso This essay studies the rise, decline, and rebirth of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and its transformation into the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). It first examines AQI’s distinctive vision and its defiance of al Qaeda central. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s anti-Shiite jihadist...

... non-oil-producing states struggled to provide better living conditions to their populations. Meanwhile, the war in Syria continued, the Islamic State (ISIS) was extending its efforts to establish a caliphate, and a massive influx of refugees was reaching Central Europe seeking asylum. In this context...

... Briefing” (London: Quil- liam Foundation, 2013), www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-­content/uploads/publications/free /jabhat-al-­ nusra-­ a-­ strategic-­ briefing.pdf.­ Celso: Hama’s Ominous Shadow  91 renegade Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and until...

...] or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria [ISIS]) is a militant jihadist group that origi- nated in Iraq and had been led by Abu Bakr al-­Baghdadi since 2010. On 29 June 2014, al-­Baghdadi declared the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria.6...

... (ISIS) in the region and subse- quent terrorist attacks by jihadists 4. The hegemonic claims by middle- size state powers in the region and the arising reactions from other states 1. Efraim Inbar, “The New Strategic Equation in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Mideast Security...

..., success in the midst of a vicious sectarian civil war. Syrian Civil War Turkey ISIS PYD Assad Obama Doctrine PKK Copyright 2017 by Mediterranean Affairs, Inc. 2017 Spyridon Plakoudas is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Macedonia. He previously taught at Panteion...

..., associate professor of security studies at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, examines the birth, develop- ment, and workings of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in his essay “Zarqawi’s Legacy: Al Qaeda’s ISIS ‘Renegade.’ ” It is an important essay in light of the rapid growth...

... on; the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has proven a resilient and ever-­ growing aggressor in Iraq, Syria, and beyond (as well as shocking in its levels of violence and sheer brutality); and Libya is a failing state. The transatlantic community has indeed responded to the turbulence and crumbling...

..., www.spiegel.de /international/world/how-islamic-­ state-­ fighters-­ pose-­ a-­ threat-­ to-­ the-­ world-­ a-­ 986632-­ 2.html.­ 7. Jim Sciutto, Jamie Crawford, and Chelsea Carter, “ISIS Can ‘Muster’ between 20,000 and 31,500, CIA Says,” CNN, 12 September 2014, www.cnn.com/2014/09/11/world/meast/isis-syria...

... foreign policy, including its respect for the principle of noninterference, in light of Beijing’s interna- 2. For some recent discussion on this topic, see Wu Di, “Weishenme zhongguo da yisilian guohui niang da zainan” [Why if China strikes ISIS would it be a catastrophe blog entry, Slumdog...

..., these common threats have increased dramatically since the beginning of the current Syrian crisis. The rise and spread of groups like the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS) and the destabilization of the region as a result of policies undertaken by regional actors like Iran have created conditions...

..., this is the ultimate objective of the Islamic State (ISIS), which seeks to establish a caliphate that stretches across current state borders. As ISIS entered Iraq in 2014, its sleek propaganda machine even called the move “Smashing Sykes-­ Picot,” referring to the 1916 Anglo-­French treaty that established...

... added to the region’s numerous ongoing challenges, to include the unfolding humanitarian crisis caused by the waves of migrants and refugees entering Europe from the war-­torn regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia; the gains by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS...

... with an assertion of dominance over the economy. Under étatism — and afterward under import substitution industrialization (ISI) — state elites attempted to dictate to society. Democratic and associational structures that might, in other countries, have resulted from a give-and-take between masses...

... State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) from 11 June to 20 September 2014. Turkey’s border with Syria is under the control of ISIS and militias affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Due to the ISIS threat, Turkey has evacuated its soldiers guarding the Suleyman Shah tomb, which...

... is an online media outlet whose purpose is to serve as a “pulpit of the Sunni people in Tunisia” and has explicitly expressed support for ISIS activities in Iraq and Syria. See Aaron Y. Zelin, “Shabab al-­Tawhid: The Rebranding of Ansar al-­Sharia in Tunisia?” Policy- Watch 2250, 9 May 2014...

... to disaffected youth around the Mediterranean and beyond, 20. An outstanding summary of this downward cycle is provided in David Ignatius, “How ISIS Spread in the Middle East: And How to Stop It,” Atlantic, 29 October 2015, www.theatlantic.com /international/archive/2015/10/how-­isis-­started-­syria...

... by Mediterranean Affairs, Inc. 68  Mediterranean Quarterly: June 2016 the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS) into Iraq in the summer of 2014, along with economic deprivation, largely in Africa, generated another 4 million or so migrants and refugees (loosely defined, migrants being those seeking better...

..., the Interservice Intelligence (ISI), helped evacuate Taliban and al Qaeda personnel from Afghanistan.19 Such perfidious behavior under- scores another key point about Pakistan. Even though the Musharraf govern- ment may now be reasonably cooperative with the United States, the country as a whole appears...

... Centre for Counter- Terrorism, May 2016), 4. 3. Jessica Ware, “ISIS Fighters Posing as Refugees Are Being Smuggled to Europe on Migrant Boats, Report Says,” Independent, 17 May 2015, www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/isis - fighters- hiding- on- migrant- boats- coming- to- europe- report...