A superb Will McCants article, in advance of his book being published. Why does it beat AQ:
The State revels in gore and wants everyone to know it. And yet it has been remarkably successful at recruiting fighters, capturing land, subduing its subjects, and creating a state. Why? Because violence and gore work. We forget that this terrifying approach to state building has an impressive track record.
Link:http://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...#ixzz3jU5NdnvC


The book is:The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State


Vox has a short article too; which ends with:
ISIS's ideological origins continue to shape the group's actions today. If we fail to understand that, we will also fail to fully understand the group's strategy, its strengths, and its weaknesses.
Link:http://www.vox.com/2015/8/21/9183419...raq-apocalypse