What Will ISIS Do Next?

Why The Rivalry Between ISIS And al-Qaeda May Lead To Attacks On America -- David Ignatius, Washington Post

As al-Qaeda splits and morphs and into different affiliates and offshoots, U.S. counterterrorism officials worry about what one calls a “potential competitive dynamic” in which different factions — including the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, now sowing civil war in Iraq — seek to bolster their credibility by attacking the United States. This new danger of attacks on the U.S. homeland is what concerns the Obama administration most about the splintering process that has created ISIS, a group so extreme that it has been denounced by Ayman Zawahiri, the nominal leader of the core al-Qaeda group.

ISIS has seized control of the Sunni areas of western and northern Iraq in recent weeks — and this success has fueled its rivalry from Zawahiri. The two groups are, in effect, competing for recruits among militant young Muslims. Because of its recent, brutal success, ISIS now looks like the more potent organization — which may enhance its appeal and accelerate the cycle of violence. A senior administration official sums up the toxic rivalry this way: “Who can make the biggest attack? Who signs up for Team Zawahiri? Who signs up for Team ISIS?” The competition, ultimately, is about who will succeed Osama bin Laden as the world’s leading terrorist.

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More Commentary On What Will ISIS Do Next

Defense Experts Warn Israel of Possible ISIS Threat -- Arutz Sheva
ISIS: What Does It Mean for Israel? -- Ronald Tiersky, Huffington Post
ISIS Threatens to Invade Jordan, 'Slaughter' King Abdullah -- Gatestone Institute
ISIS onslaught threatens Ankara -- Deutsche Welle
ISIS rise in Iraq alarms leaders in Iran -- Deutsche Welle
How ISIS Realigns The Middle East -- Matt Schiavenza, IBTimes
The State of Terror: We think of terrorist outfits like ISIS as nonstate actors. But what happens when terrorists carve themselves a state? -- Daniel Byman, Slate