Daesh: Riches and Self-Alienation in a Fledging Pseudo-State

Hans Albert Braunfisch

doi:10.18533/journal.v6i4.1111

Abstract

<p>Daesh, or Islamic State, holds captive the fears of populations the world over. However, with the advent of this new type of terror organization functioning as a pseudo-state, the approach to eliminating it must also be adapted, but in order to eliminate such a threat, it must first be understood. As of now, the understanding of Daesh widely varies depending upon the source. They are likened to other terror organizations, insurrections, unrecognized states, and caliphates of antiquity. To make the concept and understanding of Daesh more comprehensible to members of the private sector, the author utilizes a framework common for consultancies and management teams, the S.W.O.T. Analysis, to depict the organization’s assets, shortcomings, potentials for growth, and hazards. Following this analysis, the author paints Daesh as a product of its environment. With instability in the Middle East, a large population of disgruntled, young men, and globalization via social media, Daesh has become not only a pseudo-state to destroy, but an ideology that permeates inexistent cyber borders. As a result, implications for policy revision and reflection are vital for preventative measures. The author suggests leaders’ future approaches involve less armed intervention to preserve governments and greater investment in aid. These two methods create a stable environment in which the populace can focus on economic and personal development, as opposed to ideological conflict.</p>

Highlights

1.1 BackgroundIncreased globalization facilitates the exportation and importation of goods and services, but it expedites the exchange of the most valuable products of human ingenuity, ideas
Known as the Islamic State, ISIS, IS, and ISIL is the current embodiment of such poisonous tendencies
The weakness of the Iraqi government and armed forces cleared the path for Daesh to rapidly gain control of vast swaths of land

Summary

Introduction

Increased globalization facilitates the exportation and importation of goods and services, but it expedites the exchange of the most valuable products of human ingenuity, ideas. For the remainder of the report, the name Daesh will be used, as it is a term despised by the group for closely resembling the word “Dahes,” or “one who sows discord.”. This author is not sensitive to the group’s preferences. To succinctly observe the main strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats facing the parent organization of Daesh, this analysis focuses on the pseudo-state entity functioning in Syria and Iraq, not offshoots in Afghanistan, Libya, and elsewhere

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion