Daniel Atzori (FEEM): The Birth of a Jihadist Caliphate. Is Boko Haram teaming up with ISIS for a super Caliphate? Jenna McLaughlin on how a video released by the Islamist militants in Nigeria prompts questions about Boko Haram's plans. Does ISIS control huge swaths of land or a network of roads? Kathy Gilsinan on the many ways to map the Islamic “State”. Sheera Frenkel on how ISIS became the richest terrorist group in the world: “They are looking towards a long-term economic model”. Is ISIS an army of nihilists? Robert Zaretsky and David Mikics on how politicians’ favorite word for the jihadist group obscures what’s really at stake. Christopher Paul and Colin P. Clarke on a broad approach to countering the Islamic State. The Islamic State vs. al Qaeda: Who’s winning the war to become the jihadi superpower? John McLaughlin on why the Islamic State is a greater threat than Al-Qaida before 9/11. Amil Khan on Al Qaeda’s new front — jihadi rap: The suspected killer of James Foley represents a new, dangerous merger of gangsta hip-hop and Islamism. Al Qaeda magazine Inspire suggests bombing Vegas casinos, U.S. military academies. Is the Global War on Terror coming back after all? Roslyn Fuller (INSYTE): All Bark and No Bite? Rhetoric and Reality in the War on Terror. Debating the benefits of rebel brutality: Is committing atrocities against civilians strategically rational for insurgent groups? The rage to oppose: Is part of the appeal of radical Islam tied the lack of a radical, trans-national revolutionary movement such as existed through the Cold War and in more diffuse respects for decades before that? Michael Muhammad Knight: “I understand why Westerners are joining jihadi movements like ISIS. I was almost one of them. And I blame America”. Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson argues that radical Muslim militants in Iraq should only be given two choices: convert to Christianity, or die.
