ISIS militant fighters parade at the Syrian town of Tel Abyad, near the border with Turkey, on Jan. 2, 2014. REUTERS/Yaser Al-Khodor
New York Times: Using Violence and Persuasion, ISIS Makes Political Gains
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Days after seizing the Syrian desert city of Palmyra, Islamic State militants blew up the notorious Tadmur Prison there, long used by the Syrian government to detain and torture political prisoners.
The demolition was part of the extremist group’s strategy to position itself as the champion of Sunni Muslims who feel besieged by the Shiite-backed governments in Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has managed to advance in the face of American-led airstrikes by employing a mix of persuasion and violence. That has allowed it to present itself as the sole guardian of Sunni interests in a vast territory cutting across Iraq and Syria.
Ideologically unified, the Islamic State is emerging as a social and political movement in many Sunni areas, filling a void in the absence of solid national identity and security. At the same time, it responds brutally to any other Sunni group, militant or civilian, that poses a challenge to its supremacy.
WNU Editor: If this report is accurate .... and I suspect that it is .... the Islamic State has definitely (and purposefully) positioned themselves as the "savoir and champion" of Sunni Muslims who feel under threat by Shiite-dominated governments. This is a smart political move .... and in the Middle East .... like everywhere else in the world .... politics is most felt on the local and regional level. And while there is a definite need for a political component alongside the military campaign that is now underway against the Islamic State .... the problem is that in a country like Iraq I do not see the Iraqi government doing anything to co-opt the Sunni population .... in fact .... the Iraqi government has made it very clear that they see many in the Sunni community as the enemy.
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