Responding to ISIS & Terrorism under President Trump

[SWJ Blog]

Trump Team Seeks Names of Officials Working to Counter Violent Extremism (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/trump-team-seeks-names-of-officials-working-to-counter-violent-extremism)

[SWJ Blog]

Moderators Note

A new thread as President Trump may pursue ISIS / Daesh differently. So some posts from 2017 will be moved here.

Old threads will be closed. The main threads were:

1) Beyond the frontline: watching ISIS (http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/Beyond%20the%20frontline:%20watching%20ISIS)
With 220 posts and 142k views.

2) ISIS: an essential reading collection (ISIS:%20an%20essential%20reading%20collection)
With 20 posts and 47.7k views.

3) Foreign fighters in Iraq & Syria (http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/Foreign%20fighters%20in%20Iraq%20&%20Syria)
With 39 posts and 24k views.

Direct combat with ISIS appears in the current Iraq and Syrian war threads. A few other threads exist and are not suitable for merging:

a) Iraq: Out of the desert into Mosul (closed) (Iraq:%20Out%20of%20the%20desert%20into%20Mosul%20 %28closed%29)

b) A hundred SWJ Blog entries (ends)


Weakened Militarily, ISIS Still Has Power to Sow Mayhem (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/weakened-militarily-isis-still-has-power-to-sow-mayhem)

[SWJ Blog]

Top US General: Two More Years to Beat ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/top-us-general-two-more-years-to-beat-isis)

[SWJ Blog]

Retired U.S. Military Officers Urge Trump Not to Reinstate Torture (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/retired-us-military-officers-urge-trump-not-to-reinstate-torture)

[SWJ Blog]

‘We Have To End It’: Trump Takes Over Islamic State Fight, Vowing To Finish It (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/%E2%80%98we-have-to-end-it%E2%80%99-trump-takes-over-islamic-state-fight-vowing-to-finish-it)

[SWJ Blog]

Pentagon Readies Aggressive ISIS Proposals for Trump (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/pentagon-readies-aggressive-isis-proposals-for-trump)

[SWJ Blog]

Obama’s Stark Options on ISIS: Arm Syrian Kurds or Let Trump Decide (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/obama%E2%80%99s-stark-options-on-isis-arm-syrian-kurds-or-let-trump-decide)

[SWJ Blog]

Trump Pledges War on Radical Islamic Terrorism (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/trump-pledges-war-on-radical-islamic-terrorism)

[davidbfpo]

A short commentary by RUSI's Rafaello Pantucci, with a sub-title:
In retreat across Syria and Iraq, will the newer terror group emulate the strategy honed by al-Qaeda?Link:http://www.newstatesman.com/world/middle-east/2017/01/what-islamic-state-will-do-2017

[SWJ Blog]

Five Lessons for Commander in Chief Donald Trump from the Iraq 'Surge' (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/five-lessons-for-commander-in-chief-donald-trump-from-the-iraq-surge)

[SWJ Blog]

Mattis: New Game Plan on ISIS? (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/mattis-new-game-plan-on-isis)

[SWJ Blog]

Why Trump Could Bring Back Secret Prisons and Waterboarding (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/why-trump-could-bring-back-secret-prisons-and-waterboarding)

[SWJ Blog]

Trump Likely to Present JCS With Objectives for Fighting ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/trump-likely-to-present-jcs-with-objectives-for-fighting-isis)

[SWJ Blog]

New ISIS Video Shows Them Using Drones to Conduct ‘Airstrikes’ in Mosul (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/new-isis-video-shows-them-using-drones-to-conduct-%E2%80%98airstrikes%E2%80%99-in-mosul)

[SWJ Blog]

Trump's Travel Ban Will Not 'Help' ISIS Recruitment (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/trumps-travel-ban-will-not-help-isis-recruitment)

[SWJ Blog]

Trump Team Rejects Obama Team Plan to Liberate Raqqa from IS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/trump-team-rejects-obama-team-plan-to-liberate-raqqa-from-is)

[SWJ Blog]

Not ‘Lone Wolves’ After All: How ISIS Is Guiding Terror Plots From Afar (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/not-%E2%80%98lone-wolves%E2%80%99-after-all-how-isis-is-guiding-terror-plots-from-afar)

[SWJ Blog]

How a U.S. Team Uses Facebook, Guerrilla Marketing to Peel Off Potential ISIS Recruits (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/how-a-us-team-uses-facebook-guerrilla-marketing-to-peel-off-potential-isis-recruits)

[SWJ Blog]

Academics and Practitioners Give Open Advice to President Trump on ‘Eradicating’ Terrorism (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/academics-and-practitioners-give-open-advice-to-president-trump-on-%E2%80%98eradicating%E2%80%99-terrorism)

[SWJ Blog]

Donald Trump’s Worst Enemy and America’s Best Friend in His “War” Against ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/donald-trump%E2%80%99s-worst-enemy-and-america%E2%80%99s-best-friend-in-his-%E2%80%9Cwar%E2%80%9D-against-isis)

[davidbfpo]

Charlie Winter under the auspices of ICSR @ Kings War Studies is the author of a report 'Media Jihad: The Islamic State's Doctrine for Information Warfare'.

One passage:
The King’s College report draws many of its conclusions from an Islamic State propaganda guidebook that surfaced online last year. Called “Media Operative, You Are a Mujahid, Too,” the booklet equates propaganda teams with armed operatives in their importance to the terrorist group and provides guidance on how to #develop messages that exploit mainstream media coverage and advance the organization’s ideology.

“Media weapons [can] actually be more potent than atomic bombs,” one passage proclaims, according to the King’s College report.Link to article and the report is within:http://us14.campaign-archive1.com/?u=cba7cacd66ab42e2f55920ddc&id=328802d275&e=dd94a5c57b

[davidbfpo]

A new thread as President Trump may pursue ISIS / Daesh differently. So some posts from 2017 will be moved here.

Old threads will be closed. The main threads were:

1) Beyond the frontline: watching ISIS (http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/Beyond the frontline: watching ISIS)
With 220 posts and 142k views.

2) ISIS: an essential reading collection
With 20 posts and 47.7k views.

3) Foreign fighters in Iraq & Syria (http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/Foreign fighters in Iraq & Syria)
With 39 posts and 24k views.

Direct combat with ISIS appears in the current Iraq and Syrian war threads. A few other threads exist and are not suitable for merging:

a) Iraq: Out of the desert into Mosul (closed)

b) A hundred SWJ Blog entries

[SWJ Blog]

ISIS Losing Fighters, Leaders, Resources, Inherent Resolve Spokesman Says (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/isis-losing-fighters-leaders-resources-inherent-resolve-spokesman-says)

[SWJ Blog]

U.S. Raiding Worldwide Weapons Stockpiles for ISIS War (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/us-raiding-worldwide-weapons-stockpiles-for-isis-war)

[SWJ Blog]

Donald Trump Will Defeat ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/donald-trump-will-defeat-isis)

[SWJ Blog]

CVE Was Doomed to Fail. Under Trump, It Will Get Worse (http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/cve-was-doomed-to-fail-under-trump-it-will-get-worse)

[SWJ Blog]

USCENTCOM: More U.S. Troops May Be Needed Against ISIS in Syria (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/uscentcom-more-us-troops-may-be-needed-against-isis-in-syria)

Entry Excerpt:



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[SWJ Blog]

Trump to Add Some Muscle to U.S. Strategy to Fight Islamic State (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/trump-to-add-some-muscle-to-us-strategy-to-fight-islamic-state)

[SWJ Blog]

ISIS on Trajectory Toward Lasting Defeat, Defense Official Says (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/isis-on-trajectory-toward-lasting-defeat-defense-official-says)

[SWJ Blog]

Trump Administration Inviting More than 60 Countries for Strategy Session on Countering ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/trump-administration-inviting-more-than-60-countries-for-strategy-session-on-countering-isis)

[SWJ Blog]

A New Strategy Against ISIS and al Qaeda (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/a-new-strategy-against-isis-and-al-qaeda)

Entry Excerpt:



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[SWJ Blog]

Using Special Forces Against Terrorism, Trump Seeks to Avoid Big Ground Wars (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/using-special-forces-against-terrorism-trump-seeks-to-avoid-big-ground-wars)

[SWJ Blog]

USIP: Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi on U.S. Ties, War With ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/usip-iraqi-prime-minister-abadi-on-us-ties-war-with-isis)

[SWJ Blog]

Iraq Says U.S. Vows to Speed Support in ISIS Battle (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/iraq-says-us-vows-to-speed-support-in-isis-battle)

Entry Excerpt:



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[SWJ Blog]

A Test for Tillerson, and for U.S. Strategy on ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/a-test-for-tillerson-and-for-us-strategy-on-isis)

[OUTLAW 09]

Counter-terrorism Pitfalls: What the U.S. Fight against ISIS and al-Qaeda Should Avoid
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/iraq/003-counter-terrorism-pitfalls-what-us-fight-against-isis-and-al-qaeda-should-avoid

This report examines President Trump’s emerging counter-terrorism policies, the dilemmas his administration faces in battling ISIS and al-Qaeda across the Middle East and South Asia, and how to avoid deepening the disorder both groups exploit.

[davidbfpo]

The title has just been changed to widen it from just ISIS, so is now Responding to ISIS & Terrorism under President Trump and being wider than the Middle East moved to this arena Global Threats etc. A few SWJ Blog items have been moved here too.

[SWJ Blog]

Syria’s Desert Hawks and the Loyalist Response to ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/syria%E2%80%99s-desert-hawks-and-the-loyalist-response-to-isis)

[SWJ Blog]

ISIS After Trump (http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/isis-after-trump)

[JWing]

Interview (http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2017/04/next-phase-against-islamic-state.html) with RAND's Patrick Johnston on tackling the Islamic State's finances.

[SWJ Blog]

Trump Grants Generals More Freedom on ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/trump-grants-generals-more-freedom-on-isis)

Entry Excerpt:



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[SWJ Blog]

After ISIS, the US Military Could Help Keep Iraq Stable (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/after-isis-the-us-military-could-help-keep-iraq-stable)

Entry Excerpt:



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[SWJ Blog]

On the Mosul Front, a Brutal Battle Against ISIS and Time (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/on-the-mosul-front-a-brutal-battle-against-isis-and-time)

Entry Excerpt:



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[davidbfpo]

Adam Deen, a former jihadist and now with the London-based Quilliam Foundation, predicts in this article 'The Emergence Of Meta-Jihad: Why Defeating Isis Won’t End The Plague Of Terrorism':
Islamist extremism is now entering, or one could even say has already stepped into, its third, and perhaps most dangerous phase. This new emergence of the ‘meta-jihad’ is one that is purely based on a hyper ideology struggle. Any way of life that is not equal to their world view is seen as hostile and more importantly an offence against God.
Link:http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/adam-deen/the-emergence-of-metajiha_b_16383496.html

I note he foresees attacks in places so far with fewer problems, such as Sweden. Today a Swiss Minister cautioned his nation on becoming a target and whilst Malaysia has a history with jihadists this report suggests ISIS is at work there:http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/05/03/six-nabbed-over-islamic-state-links/

[SWJ Blog]

U.S. to Arm Syrian Kurds to Fight ISIS, Despite Turkey’s Objections (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/us-to-arm-syrian-kurds-to-fight-isis-despite-turkey%E2%80%99s-objections)

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[SWJ Blog]

Turkey, U.S. at Odds Over Force to Fight ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/turkey-us-at-odds-over-force-to-fight-isis)

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[SWJ Blog]

To Defeat ISIS for Good, The U.S. Needs to Take the War Beyond the Battlefield (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/to-defeat-isis-for-good-the-us-needs-to-take-the-war-beyond-the-battlefield)

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[SWJ Blog]

Mattis, Dunford, McGurk Cite Coalition Progress to Annihilate ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/mattis-dunford-mcgurk-cite-coalition-progress-to-annihilate-isis)

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[SWJ Blog]

The U.S. Joins the Philippines in a Battle Against ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/the-us-joins-the-philippines-in-a-battle-against-isis)

Entry Excerpt:



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[davidbfpo]

As the struggle for Mosul nears a climax Professor Paul Rogers has an article sub-titled:
The caliphate is besieged. But ISIS can take heart from global trends working in its favour.

(Shortly after) the much broader question of whether ISIS, its offshoots and like-minded extreme movements – whether these are rooted in religious, political, nationalist or ethnic identities – may develop further, and even coalesce into broad “revolts from the margins”.

(Later) In short, there are many tens of millions of young, educated and knowledgeable people across the Middle East, Africa and Asia who have grounds to see the world from an entirely different perspective to leaderships and elites in the global north.
Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/isis-long-term-prospect?

So if you were an investor in mayhem where would you invest?

"Whackamole" hardly seems appropriate.

[SWJ Blog]

How ISIS Will Go On Without Mosul (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/how-isis-will-go-on-without-mosul)

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[SWJ Blog]

ISIS Reduced to Less Than 5 Percent of Its Former Iraqi Capital (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/isis-reduced-to-less-than-5-percent-of-its-former-iraqi-capital)

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[SWJ Blog]

ISIS, Battered but Still Potent, Returns to Its Insurgent Roots (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/isis-battered-but-still-potent-returns-to-its-insurgent-roots)

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[SWJ Blog]

Iraqi Premier Declares Victory Over ISIS In Mosul (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/iraqi-premier-declares-victory-over-isis-in-mosul)

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[SWJ Blog]

ISIS Was a Symptom. State Collapse Is the Disease (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/isis-was-a-symptom-state-collapse-is-the-disease)

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[SWJ Blog]

Dozens of U.S. Civilians are in Syria Fighting Alongside Local Forces Against ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/dozens-of-us-civilians-are-in-syria-fighting-alongside-local-forces-against-isis)

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[SWJ Blog]

U.S.-Backed Forces Battle ISIS in Heart of Syria's Raqqa & Does the Taliban Have the SCAR? (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/us-backed-forces-battle-isis-in-heart-of-syrias-raqqa-does-the-taliban-have-the-scar)

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[SWJ Blog]

Beyond Syria and Iraq, Faraway ISIS ‘Provinces’ Fight On (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/beyond-syria-and-iraq-faraway-isis-%E2%80%98provinces%E2%80%99-fight-on)

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[SWJ Blog]

A Battered ISIS Grows Ever More Dependent on ‘Lone Wolves’, Simple Plans (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/a-battered-isis-grows-ever-more-dependent-on-%E2%80%98lone-wolves%E2%80%99-simple-plans)

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[SWJ Blog]

How ISIS Nearly Stumbled on the Ingredients for a 'Dirty Bomb' (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/how-isis-nearly-stumbled-on-the-ingredients-for-a-dirty-bomb)

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[SWJ Blog]

Behind the Front Lines in the Fight to ‘Annihilate’ ISIS in Afghanistan (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/behind-the-front-lines-in-the-fight-to-%E2%80%98annihilate%E2%80%99-isis-in-afghanistan)

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[SWJ Blog]

Al-Qaeda in the Age of ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/al-qaeda-in-the-age-of-isis)

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[SWJ Blog]

Making Victory Count After Defeating ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/making-victory-count-after-defeating-isis)

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[SWJ Blog]

The Institute of Peace is Successful Against ISIS - The U.S. Must Fund It (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/the-institute-of-peace-is-successful-against-isis-the-us-must-fund-it)

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[SWJ Blog]

Embassy, Mosque Attacks Fuel Fears ISIS Bringing Iraq War to Afghanistan (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/embassy-mosque-attacks-fuel-fears-isis-bringing-iraq-war-to-afghanistan)

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[SWJ Blog]

Under Trump, Gains Against ISIS Have ‘Dramatically Accelerated’ (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/under-trump-gains-against-isis-have-%E2%80%98dramatically-accelerated%E2%80%99)

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[SWJ Blog]

The Men Who Trade ISIS Loot (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/the-men-who-trade-isis-loot)

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[SWJ Blog]

After Mosul, Airstrikes Against ISIS Ebb Slightly But Remain High (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/after-mosul-airstrikes-against-isis-ebb-slightly-but-remain-high)

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[SWJ Blog]

Hash and High Explosives: The Great ISIS Bomb Hunt (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/hash-and-high-explosives-the-great-isis-bomb-hunt)

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[SWJ Blog]

ISIS After The Caliphate (http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/isis-after-the-caliphate)

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[SWJ Blog]

In Syria, New Conflict Looms as ISIS Loses Ground (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/in-syria-new-conflict-looms-as-isis-loses-ground)

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[SWJ Blog]

Russia Says Syria Government Seized Most Territory From ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/russia-says-syria-government-seized-most-territory-from-isis)

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[SWJ Blog]

ISIS Near Defeat in Iraq. Now Comes The Hard Part. (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/isis-near-defeat-in-iraq-now-comes-the-hard-part)

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[SWJ Blog]

As ISIS Falters, Syrian Regime and US Allies Maneuver for Advantage (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/as-isis-falters-syrian-regime-and-us-allies-maneuver-for-advantage)

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[SWJ Blog]

The Fires Next Time: The ISIS Terrorist Threat in the West (http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-fires-next-time-the-isis-terrorist-threat-in-the-west)

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[SWJ Blog]

17 ISIS Fighters Reported Killed as US Ends Lull in Libya Airstrikes (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/17-isis-fighters-reported-killed-as-us-ends-lull-in-libya-airstrikes)

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[SWJ Blog]

Captured ISIS Fighters’ Refrain: ‘I Was Only a Cook’ (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/captured-isis-fighters%E2%80%99-refrain-%E2%80%98i-was-only-a-cook%E2%80%99)

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[SWJ Blog]

Abadi Wins ISIS War, Maliki Wins Elections: Time for US to Shift Policy on Kurdistan (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/abadi-wins-isis-war-maliki-wins-elections-time-for-us-to-shift-policy-on-kurdistan)

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[SWJ Blog]

A Lasting Defeat: The Campaign to Destroy ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/a-lasting-defeat-the-campaign-to-destroy-isis)

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[SWJ Blog]

With Loss of Its Caliphate, ISIS May Return to Guerrilla Roots (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/with-loss-of-its-caliphate-isis-may-return-to-guerrilla-roots)

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[SWJ Blog]

U.S.-led Coalition Declares ISIS Forces Vanquished, Battle for Raqqa Over (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/us-led-coalition-declares-isis-forces-vanquished-battle-for-raqqa-over)

[davidbfpo]

Jason Burke, a respected journalist, has a lengthy commentary; which is sub-titled: Islamic State’s last stronghold, Raqqa, has fallen. But the world’s attention must now focus on what it or other Islamist groups will plot next.
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/21/isis-caliphate-islamic-state-raqqa-iraq-islamist?

A couple of quotes:
Raqqa may have fallen, but if Isis is down, it is far from out.....It is clear that any victory over Isis is partial. The recent military offensive has not been accompanied by a parallel political effort.(He ends with) So let us celebrate the defeat of Islamic State and its hateful so-called caliphate – and keep a wary eye out for the next fight.

[SWJ Blog]

Africa Becomes the New Battleground for ISIS and al-Qaeda as They Lose Ground in Mideast (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/africa-becomes-the-new-battleground-for-isis-and-al-qaeda-as-they-lose-ground-in-mideast)

[SWJ Blog]

With Coffers Draining, ISIS May Seek Donations And Step Up Crime (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/with-coffers-draining-isis-may-seek-donations-and-step-up-crime)

[davidbfpo]

An interesting 'Slate' article; which ends with:
Some officials in Western governments say they believe terrorism is just part of the modern world, and policies should be oriented toward building resilience against it. ISIS may have helped accomplish this goal by making terrorism seem a part of everyday life, making it fail to achieve its intended objective—to terrify.Link:http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2017/11/terrorist_acts_like_the_new_york_vehicle_attack_ar e_losing_their_ability.html? (http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2017/11/terrorist_acts_like_the_new_york_vehicle_attack_ar e_losing_their_ability.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_ru)

[SWJ Blog]

General Petraeus on the Battle After the Battle Against ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/general-petraeus-on-the-battle-after-the-battle-against-isis)

[SWJ Blog]

Israel Sees Rising Threat From Iran After ISIS (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/israel-sees-rising-threat-from-iran-after-isis)

[davidbfpo]

Professor Paul Rogers has a short commentary that opens with:
In the ashes of the caliphate lie the seeds of a new and even more dangerous ISIS.

(Concludes) But it does indicate the sheer amount of knowledge and expertise that ISIS and related groups accrued in this latest phase of conflict. Far from disappearing, these will be put to use in perhaps unexpected ways. It is another reason why the "war on terror", even as it takes different forms, is likely to continue.
Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-rogers/wars-next-phase-isis-plus-expertise?

[davidbfpo]

Within Paul Roger's article are two links to short reports on how ISIS gets its weapons.

The shortest is via a Balkan new website, which highlights:
...more than half of ISIS’s new weapons in Syria came from Bulgaria.Link:http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/balkan-arms-exports-diverted-to-isis-report-12-15-2017

The second via 'Wired' is a far longer report on CAR's on-site inspector, which is a good read too, especially the factories in Tel Afar.
Link:https://www.wired.com/story/terror-industrial-complex-isis-munitions-supply-chain/

The main report is by a NGO, Conflict Armament Research using open sources and on-site inspection. Their summary:
This report is the result of more than three years of field investigation into Islamic State supply chains. It presents an analysis of more than 40,000 items recovered from the group between 2014 and 2017. These items encompass weapons, ammunition, and the traceable components and chemical precursors used by the group to manufacture improvised explosive devices.Link:http://www.conflictarm.com/publications/

[davidbfpo]

A "lurker" recommended this report by Ash Carter, ex-Defence Secretary, published by the Belfer Center in October 2017.

Link to a two page summary:https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2017-10/one-pager%20web.pdf

The full report:https://www.belfercenter.org/LastingDefeat

He refers in July 2015 to:
Intelligence on ISIS was almost entirely lacking—we did not understand who our enemy was, where he was, or what he would do next.This seems an odd statement:
Iran has had virtually nothing to do with the liberation of Iraqi territory, and every Iraqi can see that.A lengthy passage on Turkey and then this, not very diplomatic:
Regrettably, the Gulf countries have so fall fallen short of doing what they can. (In contrast) Singapore and Malaysia joined the counter-ISIS coalition: Singapore’s highly professional military contributed imagery analysts and an aerial refueling tanker to the fight in Iraq and Syria; and as a majority-Muslim nation, Malaysia’s public embrace of the fight against ISIS had major significance.

[davidbfpo]

"In the opposite corner" is the main enemy ISIS.

Hassan Hassan, a journalist who writes for several papers and books, has this article, entitled:
Its dreams of a caliphate are gone. Now Isis has a deadly new strategy; territorial losses in Syria and Iraq mean Islamic State militants are igniting bloody sectarian insurgencies elsewhereLink:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/31/isis-dreams-of-caliphate-gone-now-deadly-new-strategy