The Rise and Political History of ISIS

In June, 2014, the regional and Western states were shocked by the influence of the ISIS which is currently known to be the Islamic State. It displaced the northern Iraqi city known as Mosul. Despite the fact that the military who came from Iraq were considered to be much powerful than the ISIS army, they retreated. It was much disappointing that the ISIS went deep to understand the weaknesses of the Iraqi state, and enhanced the degree of fear towards the future of its finances.

Fears over the providence of an enormous number of Yazidis (the group of the people of Kurdish ethnicity, the Zoroastrianism adherents of the particular religion, the people of pre-Islamic religion) made the crisis reach a new level. Individual extreme Sunnis have a perception that the Yazidis are devil worshipers, and therefore the observers had an extreme tension concerning the massacre of the Yazidis who were encircled by the ISIS military on the Sinjar mountain, in the Nineveh Governorate of Iraq.

At the same time, the threat is entailed considering the favorable information from the Jihadi which is created more as a tool of recruitment among the Sunni Islamic audience, as for the ISIS supposed adversaries are the Shia as well as the Western world. Besides, there is the distortion of perceptions in the Western countries.  At the same time, several phenomena such as the fall of the city of Mosul as well as the collapse of the Iraqi military forces appeared to be a big shock.

The total number of deaths in Iraqi was approximated to around 200,000 towards the onset of 2003. This rough estimate included the combatants. This ratio is probably less than the approximated number of people who were killed in Syria from the beginning of 2013. So, although the focus on the Iraq was viewed to be more terrible, with extreme murders, the scene in Syria is just more than murder. Through it, there are a number of people affected. Besides, the cases of refugee have been encouraged. Also, the number of internally displaced persons has hiked.

What makes Syria significant; aside from the extent of violence, is that the planned loyalty of government is vulnerable in Syria. This issue is probably less than the case in Iraq (although, it remains questionable on whether Iraq or Syria will carry on within the current borders of the states. The collapse of the Assad family from power would have a primary effect towards the Iranian influence in the Middle East.

Syria is considered to be the only associated state with the Arab world. It is conquered by the family that belongs to what is being argued as a religious offshoot of Shiism, and probably, not by followers of the religion of the vast majority of its inhabitants. Therefore, the Shia Iranians as well as the Sunni Gulf monarchies have been trying to swing the conflict in Syria according to their way, in the context of a developing regional conflict between the Shia and the Sunnis. The involvement of the government of Gulf has been greatly uncoordinated and has always pulled in a number of directions. The Western powers together with Russia have united considering the perceived geostrategic interests, although their participation has been of little effect.

These involvements of the regional actors have lengthened and widened the war in Syria.  Besides, it has brought in numerous of contradicting actors that are always disagreeing with many adversaries. This issue brings into consideration that any further involvement by the external power is distraught with difficulty. When considering the case in Iraq, there is a coherent concept of the kind of support. But when focusing here, the entire scene appears to be complicated.

Methodology

Throughout the research, secondary literature was used while collecting data. For instance, different helpful articles were found online. These sources were very useful; they provided a lot of information concerning the ISIS intrusion into the Middle East. The online sources have many advantages as it is simply to access, and the information is also secured. A great percentage of people are currently using the secondary sources in their researches as the outcome is real. Besides, the information attained from the sites has enough quality to be used in academic studies. It is clear that, generally, a larger number of students are utilizing websites to access whatever they want during any time, at any place. Apart from the advantages of the method, it has some minimal disadvantages which to some extend made the study to be a bit challenging. For instance, particular sites require to be paid for in order to access the articles. This aspect brought in a hard time, as after the payments, the articles stays for two to three days before one is able to access. This issue made the study to be extended, and therefore making it to take some more days before accomplishment.

But, generally, the study appeared swift, and everything was a success. Much information indulged in this paper consists of the information from the online site, and therefore, it is recommended to be the best for any person undertaking research or any other academic activity.

Background

History of the ISIS

Much of what happened in Syria became obstinate and later spread through Iraq. This effect resulted in many threats towards countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. The history of the ISIS gives precise information relating to the incidences both in the past and the recent time. The Levant was in control of the Ottoman Empire, where harmony and peace co-existed in the Islamic religion as well as Christian. Also, it is evident from the information gained in the past that the interaction was much better than that in other Christian settings.

After the fall of the power of the Ottoman Empire during the decline of the First World War, there was a division of its land to Britain as well as France that had a greater influence. Besides, this effect was due to the boundaries which were placed in the Sykes-picot agreement that happened in 1916. There was no completeness of inventions towards Syrian as well as the Iraqi entities when it came to France and Britain; they had a particular historical recognition throughout ottomans leadership, as well as before, but the drawing of the borders after 1918 was done by the European powers.

The powers with the ability to control were at no cost to set up frontiers within the spheres they had the influence to. Considering the French sector, there was the establishment of the Syrian and Lebanon states, while in the British sector there was emergence of many countries such as Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia among others. These countries were responsible for the administrative dissections which were transferred by the Vilayets, together with the ethnic as well as the religious makeup of the regions. There was much argument among people that Christians belong to Lebanon, although a shift appeared in the demographic of the country. Because of the number of confessions in the state, there was difficulty concerning the drawing of boundaries. Besides, considering the assortment of the Syrian populations, there has always been a difficulty especially in relations among the groups.

The relationships between different sectors as well as the ethnicities have substantially declined as witnessed through the 20th century. The idea of the Arab nationalism had given a foundation for a secular state, and as well targeted to stop the states divisions as well as the groups within the Arab setting. The Arab nationalist states, for example, when considering the Egyptian Colonel Nasser as well as the Baathists were the inspired socialists and therefore, contributed to suppressing of the Islamic political movements.

Arabs attained a climax with the creation of the United Arab Republic, which was considered to be a political union of Syria with Egypt, but the seceding of Syria appeared in three years.  After the 1970 oil crises, new forces came up. The countries were allies of the West. This aspect can be traced from the purported adherence to the protection of Islam.

Divergence from Al-Qaeda

In 2003, the ISIS gave an announcement concerning the unification with the Jabhat al-Nusrah, coming up with the Islamic State of Iraqi and the al-sham (ISIS or ISIL). The al-sham can also be referred as the Levant. Also known to be the land at the furthest east of the Mediterranean, hence ISIL. Some Arabic speakers who are not recognized with the ISIS often reject the name ISIS since they have never accepted the perception that the Levant represents Islam.

They only have a preference in calling the group Daesh, rather than the Islamic State. From the derivation of their language, Daesh is the name of the ISIS in Arabic. In Arabic, the Daesh is sneering implications; some national leaders from the West including the official defense committee House have come to an agreement with the term.

Al-Nusrah appears to have never aligned with the collaboration of the two states, after the struggle experienced, together with a terrible period of confusion. The central leadership of the al-Qaeda removes the relationship with the ISIS, as well as an Al-Baghdadi during the February of 2014. This withdrawal was mainly from the Syrian state. Many countries have whispered matters concerning the ISIS to be extreme as well as the al-Qaeda.

Different reports suggest that the ISIS has a possible support in countries like Syria and Iraq, even though there is enough capital in Syria. The Al-Baghdadi campaign to enhance the leadership of Iraq and ISIS happened to create the Iraqi atmosphere in the organization rather than Syrian. It is very clear that no one can prefer Jabhat Al-Nusra. The al- Baghdadi made a decision for the ISIS to join the fight that was going on in Syria. This aspect would be unswerving with trailing confusion in the Muslin lands with the illegal states (something a number of the Sunnis would deem as Assad's fluctuation in Damascus), permissible to substitute them with the caliphate.

However, the Syrian insurgency was a crowded scenario with many secularists as well as the Islamic groups of various shades and changing adherences, partially advanced by the perplexity of the support originating from different countries, such as the Gulf and West with diverse purposes. Within the past months, the ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusrah have battled, resulting in many deaths. From the press, there are different suggestions that the leadership of al-Qaeda, in the person of Ayman Al-Zawahiri, called for a resolution between the two groups in May, 2014. There is no clarity on the degree of control al- Zawahiri has over the two groups. Jabhat Al-Nusrah suggests that it would only discontinue or rather give up from starting any attacks; since a number of attacks originated from ISIS as well as the Al-Nusrah with many pledges to respond if any attack is made, violence might prolong.

Al-Nusrah was considered to be the greatest fighting group when it came to the Syrian state, but different rumors claim that most of his fighters were lost to the ISIS after an eruption of a fight between the two groups. The fanaticism of the ISIS thought to petition to the foreign jihadists. The focus of Jabhat al-Nusra has always been on conquering the Assad state located in Syria, while much concentration of the ISIS is dominating the territory, as well as getting away from the Syrian military where possible. 

Since Mosul was taken over, much of what is experienced is a slowdown in the progress of the ISIS, as well as its allies through Iraq. This act has defiantly resulted to the reservation of a number of places. This issue has occurred to some degree since the officials in the Iraqi forces who are demoralized are exceedingly given support by the militia from the Shia. Besides, the territory dominated by the Shia creates a wall that protects them from the ISIS conquer.

Since then, there has been a stable impairment of the governments’ set up when the First World War was over. This reason is for a number of sects contained exceedingly much care regarding their sectarian, as well as the identification of the ethnicity than their public identity. Also, the harmonious cohabitation has shifted to be rare.

There is little reinforcement for the executive Iraqi military among the Iraqi Sunnis after what they focused on inexorable bullying by the Shia who had dominated in the Baghdad state. The confusion in the Syrian state gave the ISIS a chance to intrude into the country. During 2014, there was already an establishment of the Syrian town as the ISIS capital.

The creation of a raw state in Baghdad brought much hope considering the political solution pertaining the violence there. But even a widely kind enough Iraqi state will have to get an opportunity to handle the intractable tribulations considering the collapse of the military, extreme corruption, the division of the revenues from oil and the territorial disagreements, as well as the decentralization demands.

More widely, it should consider making progress in curing the factional divisions that have been widening over the number of years, at the moment when they are becoming worse all over the state. This activity will never be easy. The United Kingdom and other Western states have given an assurance to provide enough support to the Kurdish Peshmerga, as well as the Iraqi state. This activity is extensively considered to be following the international law, regardless of the United Nations security being deficient since the Iraqi state has asked for assistance to be able to bring an action against the ISIS.

The air strikes, together with other forms of the military assistance to the army combating the Islamic state, may have contributed to the slowing of the group’s movement, but too little. Since the involvement of the international military, the information collected states that the Islamic State lost only a small portion of the entire territory it had conquered in Iraq. Considering the situation in Syria, the European nations were much reluctant to be involved militarily, and the general approach for the two kinds of action arenas of the disagreement appeared to be complicated to give a definition.

There has been much argument from different commentators that well-built military involvement by the western army in Iraq would be doubtful to succeed and might even appear to be counter-productive; the answer to the regional authority such as Turkey, the Iraqi state, as well as the Saudi Arabia will seem to be preferable. However, essential resentment between the Shia and the Sunna, which is expected to be intensified by both the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, stands in a way of the regional support and is not easy to decide.            

Conclusion

The situation in Iraq and Syria has been brewing for decades. From the paper, it is clear that the conditions in the Syrian and Iraqi states have always been brewing for a number of decades. For instance, when considering Peter Harling's from the International Crisis Group, he gave a description to the Sunni rage at the past setbacks in collaboration with Shia. He clearly relates Sunni with trouble, especially when returning to its past as well as the imagination of its future.

A patchy 20th-century history, following an extended period of the Ottoman livelihood which was focused on a time of turn down, finalized with the succession of failure. Some of the successions include pan- Arabism, socialism, different kinds of Islamism, the nationalist movements as well as capitalism. These outcomes resulted to ambiguous experiences. Thus far, with the exclusion of Tunisia, the out coming hopes of the uprisings of 2011 merely turned to ashes.

Besides, as it is evident from the research conducted it remains to be a question on where the Sunnis could get inspiration as well as their pride and self-confidence. These questions refer to the diehards in the Gulf, as well as those in Egypt. Also, there is much reference to the Muslim brothers who are tied on ropes, and the Palestinian Hamas. Considering the same period, the Shia world had gained prominence, if qualified, successes: Iran had established itself as a unique country which the West could not avoid dealing with, and therefore had more ambitions to play a significant role in the Arab state. For instance, Hizbullah called for shots in Lebanon, and there was the strongest Shia axis that articulated the Beirut Baghdad, Damascus as well as the Tehran. This issue has provided a phenomenon that is new and troubling.

Therefore, in no way should the West be self-satisfied about the progress in the Iraqi state, when considering Jane Kinninmont suggestion. When focusing on the history of the Western participation in that country, nothing possibly appears to be good. Pinning the entire blame on the Maliki suitably releases the United Kingdom as well as the United States off accountability for assisting to give help in the creation of a political system where hostility and sectarianism are the standard instruments for remaining in authority.