08-08-2014, 08:08 PM
(08-08-2014, 05:58 PM)blueberryhill Wrote: O.K. ISIS is now IS, but where are the Al Qaeda terrorists and do they make up part of the new IS? I probably missed this in some of the above posts..
Hi blueberry.
Al-qaeda, IMO, was more focused on attacking western ideology than it was on strengthening Islamic ideology. They climaxed at 9⁄11 and set the foundation for the next generations of Islamic fundamentalist. I think that the US and its western allies did some good in weakening al-Qaeda.
And now, 13 years later...........IS, ISIS, ISIL (all the same peeps) is essentially a branch-off of al-Qaeda with more broad-based and sophisticated goals and strategies. They've studied the wins/losses of al-Qaeda and used their ruthlessness, savvy, and strategic analysis capabilities to accumulate the wealth and recruits necessary to establish power in the Middle East.
This is my opinion only. Mo and others have a lot to offer to the discussion based on first-hand experience and second-hand research. But, the way I see it, IS is much stronger than al-Qaeda. Not because they're in competition with al-Qaeda; they're not. But because IS is the evolution of al-Qaeda. IS, using accumulated wealth and today's technology, has caught traditional international strategists off-guard with their organizational skills. This ain't last decade's profile of a "terrorist" group. The national security forces from all countries need to regroup and recalibrate.
As for you and I and so many concerned citizens from countries across the globe: there's so much more transparency than before due to global and social media. If any citizen of any age residing in any country across the globe gives enough of a shit to look at readily-accessible news accounts from all sides, they're gonna be way more informed than were the concerned citizens from 13 or more years ago.
IMO, IS members have spent a lot of time not only exploiting the civil war in Syria and the (perceived) religious discrimination in post-Hussein Iraq, but also in assessing the attitudes and trends of western governments and civilian populations over the last several years. I think that they think that the time is right now for them to push most aggressively forward in forcing Sharia law in Iraq and Syria, with the least threat of western retaliation. We in the US and Europe are war-weary and we've got enough domestic bullshit with which to contend. I think they're right (but wish they weren't). They're not ignorant, IMO. Are we? Remains to be seen.