Introduction
ISIS is a global terrorist group that originated from Iraq after the end of the US invasion of the country in 2004. The group specifically originated from the Sunni affiliated terrorist organization al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) which is a part of the larger al Qaeda group. AQI was started by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In order to reaffirm their presence in Iraq and the entire middle east, the group resulted to bombings and mass killings through shootings and beheadings. After al Zarqawi died in an air strike by the US military in the year 2006, the group fell into the hands of Abu Du’a, commonly known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an Iraqi fighter who’s more experienced than his predecessor. However, AQI weakened by the year2007 as a result of resistance from a large group of Sunni rebels who were supported by the United States military. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seized the chance to regroup the organization and in the year 2011, it moved its concentration power from Iraq to Syria. The groups influence grew exponentially by taking advantage of the Syrian conflicts that started in the same year by training its militants and through radicalization. In the year 2013, the groups influence had grown in most of the middle eastern countries prompting a name change from AQI to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to reflect the group’s intention of gaining a regional influence. Over the groups influence has continued to grow through radicalization activities and terror from the middle east to Africa, Europe and the United States. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the development of ISIS and how such the developments are presenting a future threat to the United States.
Intelligence Assets and Capability
Iraq Disarmament
Research has showed that Iraq and Iran breach the international resolutions through manufacturing Weapons of Mass Destruct ruction (WMD), importation of prohibited missiles, continuous refusal of Iraq to compensate Kuwait, as well as supporting terrorist activities ( Belkin et al. 2015). The UN Security Council resolution 1441 prohibited Iraq from getting new compliance opportunities and thus no further authorization from UN would be considered before an invasion. According to the US Intelligence, such a decision was the most diplomatically desirable. Iraq finally agreed to the Resolution 1441. The Iraq Survey Group was commissioned to find out whether any WMD was found in Iraq and the report indicated that the Iraq had no weapons that were thought to be there.
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Ending war in Syria
The ISIS threat offers full barometers to investigate the binding resolutions and the credibility of US intelligence agencies’ recommendations. The failure of the implementation of the binding resolutions of the UN Security Council in the past focuses on the indecisiveness and the inefficiency of this organization. Notably, one of the resolutions states the need to stop the external interventions that facilitate instability and war in the Middle East particularly in Iraq and Syria ( Rubin, 2015, June) . Among the actions that should be considered keenly include Iranian intervention on their nuclear advancements and the support to the insurgency movement such as the Houthis.
Sanctions
Resolution passed in the past have proposed that there would be sanctions on countries that support ISIS such as Iran. They also impose sanctions against the leader of the affiliate groups and the countries that harbor them, in order to limit their threats to the government. During a Yemeni conference dialogue, the dialogue was adopted as the primary tool for negotiation.
Notably, these resolutions were substantially supported by both the US and Britain as appealed by the Yemeni president. Saudi-led operation’s main aim in the recent past are meant to offer protection to the Shia People as well as protect them from the aggression of the Islamic militias who received support from the regional powers. According to the diplomatic sources, the people are keen concerning the re-continuation of the brokered peace talks by the United Nations and resuming the implementation of the national dialogue outcomes as a platform of the national consensus ( Belkin et al. 2015) . According to Steven Obrien, ISIS prevents the peace keeping teams from reaching cities under their control which increases the humanitarian tragedy in the region.
Another factor that contributed to the failed implementation of the US foreign policy in the Middle East is because the international community failed to support Saudi beyond the resolutions stepping up trials to stop them for unclear reasons. They Nuclear Agreement between the five +1 and Iran and the consequences of this significant deal in the Middle East ( Blanchard & Humud, 2017) . Thus, Security Council failed to end the ISIS threat since the interests of the neighboring countries weighed much higher than the benefits of the Security Council. In the event of the Saudi Arabia failing to offer their support to other GCC countries, for example, Yemeni would collapse. As a result, in 2015, Yemen’s President called for intervention in a bid to restore legitimacy and order in the country. As a result, Yemen reiterated to the United Nations call to implement their security goals.
In a nutshell, the fact that degrades the Security Council when it comes to maintaining peace is the inability to implement the necessary resolutions. According to the UN Charter, precise mechanisms, as well as the instruments used in the implementation of the recommendations, are well stipulated. Nevertheless, the Security Council failed to apply these mechanisms in ending the conflict in the Middle East. Notably, Syria crisis is an indication of battlefield superiority and resistance as the only viable options for achieving success in the unending ISIS threat.
Request for Intelligence (RFI)
Since exiting Iraq in 2004, the United States has been a major target of the Islamic State. The most common forms of attacks by the terrorist organization include bombing and cybercrime. For example, in 2013 there was a bombing in Boston Marathon, organized and carried out by American citizen. The motive of terrorists is mostly derived from the objectives of the international terror groups. There have been a number of cases of youth radicalization in the United States which are further facilitating terror. The other cause of the rise in extremism is frustration with the government. There are people who feel that the government has not been honest in describing the current state of the country regarding important matters such as health and unemployment. Terror attacks in this case are meant to attract attention from the government. The other reason for domestic terrorism is racism. Domestic terror groups such consist of white supremacists who feel that there ought to be racial segregation and possible eviction of the immigrants.
The Bosom Marathon bombing is one of the incidences where there has not been clear answer as to whether it is a case of domestic terrorism or international terrorism. The bombers, Tamerlane and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were born in the Soviet Union but immigrated to the United States. According the FBI report that was released four mothers later, the two suspects were motivated by the international terrorist groups but acted alone. Tamerlane died during a police chase that prompted a shootout while Dzhokhar was arrested later. The bombing involved two homemade explosives that detonated separately. Most people argue that this is a case of domestic terrorism since no international terrorist group claimed the responsibility for the incident ( Gates et al. 2014) . Others argue that the case might be classified as international terrorism since the suspect had a history of violence and strong claims to be devout Islamists. In 2009 the Tsarnaev family was investigated for claims of affiliating with the Islamic State and running a radical YouTube channel. However, the case was dropped due to lack of concrete evidence.
One of the most common form of terror being carried out by ISIS is cybercrime. Cyber-attacks refer to interferences in internet activities by an intruder that often causes disruptions in security systems. These attacks present a security hazard that threaten security controls if not adequately regulated. In cases where these threats are impossible to eliminate, it is important to reduce them to a manageable level so as to avoid its harmful effects such as financial losses. Effects of cyber-attacks include retardation of service delivery due to phobia caused. Companies that design high security controls come up with adequate measures to reduce these risks. They are capable of reducing this phobia which will improve the technology industry.
Security regulation is one of the ways of minimizing negative side effects of interference from unauthorized sources. It is mostly can be random or from a series of related sources. Random attacks include the network interruptions that originate from unknown sources such as hackers. Attacks from known sources, on the other hand, ethical hacking from machines such as cars.
Technology has transformed the world into a global village. The computer technology in particular has made it possible for people across the world to trade and share information. Since the introduction of internet, instant communication has been facilitated as people can now communicate via emails, video calls and various chat platforms. In the recent past, the number of internet users has grown exponentially as more and more people continue to rely on it for information and livelihood. Globalization wouldn’t have happened without technology.
Transport improvement and development has also facilitated globalization. Both personal and commercial transport have evolved over the years making it possible for people to move faster and transport goods easily. Up to this day, attempts are being made to innovate more sophisticated transport networks across the world. This means that globalization will be a continuing trend in future. Through globalization different countries of the world have been integrated over the years through trade and areas of common interest such as the fight against terrorism and governance. However, terrorism has been facilitated mainly by the spontaneous progress in information technology. In the recent years, world economies have realized the growing importance of specialization and labor division. This has driven countries into producing what they produce best and importing what they are unable to produce ( Katzman et al. 2014, November) . This has been a chief factor in promoting globalization.
In the recent past, terrorism has been a major challenge not only to the United States, but also to the whole world. There has been a series of terrorist attacks in major capitals of the world. On 13 th and 14 th of March, 2017, suspected ISIS militants attacked different parts of Paris armed with AK-47 rifles and hand grenades killing 137 civilians through mass shooting, bombing and suicide attacks. Reports from different media houses indicate that the French government is yet to come up with the full list of those behind the attacks.
This incident shows how vulnerable any country is including the United States regardless of its economic muscle. Though one of the masterminds of the attacks is reported to have been killed by French police, CNN reporter Eliot C. McLaughlin argues that other major suspects are at large and may carry out more attacks across Europe and the United States ( Humud, Pirog & Rosen, 2015 ) . He further says urges the US government to look at the whole scenario from a wider perspective and undertake extra measures to eliminate the threat.
The single major target of all Islamic militant groups has continuously been the United States. Even though this country has gone through a series of major reforms in the defense system, terrorist groups on the other hand are burning the midnight oil trying to come up with new techniques of carrying out their destructive missions. Religious extremism is on the rise and it’s happening all over the world. The government needs to come up with tough control measures to curb this vise. As much as people are able to harness technology positively, so are the cases of terrorism increasing in number and complexity.
Recommendations for Action
A multitude of resolutions have been passed by the UN Security Council to end war in the middle east that often results to a rise of terror groups. Some of them include imposing sanctions. Efforts to negotiate for peace with rebel groups have proved to be futile their leaders are not willing to honor the peace agreements. On the other hand, if only Syria would withdraw the use of force to allow for negotiations, this would mean there would be mutual withdrawals from Iraq by the Islamic State. In a case of any agreement arrived at, the sanctions made in Iraq had to be reversed and boycotted. It is worth noting that the United Nations is firmly opposed any concessions on Iraq. Negotiations efforts between the United Nations members and the Secretary General bore no fruits. As a result, therefore, in the instances where none is of the Article is cited, the international law interpretation is usually sought for. Thus, the method of forceful implementation on foreign lands has led to ambiguities in the interpretation of the difference between a recommendation and a decision as well as its relevance to application.
One of the areas that are currently being targeted by ISIS is the data management data management systems. The sector is characterized by the presence of colossal highly dynamic data. Managing security requires an active and dynamic platform as well. Joint Operations offers these services in one package that is easily manageable. It will guarantee safety from terror both in the short term and in the long term.
Radicalization in the United States is rising at an alarming rate which is not only a threat to the national security but also to the local economy. Religious fanaticism and propaganda motivate the activity. One of the major platforms through which global terrorist groups are carrying out these activities is the internet. However, radicalization in the country is not only about religion but also a rebellion against the government. Some people feel that the government is not doing enough to protect their interests. They, therefore, result in the public disturbance to catch the government’s attention or promote their interests.
The rise of radicalization has increased the cases of domestic terrorism ranging from bombings to cybercrime. The recent hacking of Equifax and military databases are some of the examples through which radicalization is affecting the United States. If this trend continues, the United States stands to lose its position in the global affairs due to people’s loss of confidence in the government. Statistics show that hacking costs the United States government approximately $445 annually. It is also estimated that is figure will continue to rise shortly if the situation is not controlled.
Radicalization is presenting a threat to the US allies such a Britain and France. The two countries have been victims of terrorist attacks in the recent past from locally radicalized citizens. Countering this threat requires an immediate action from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. A joint task force aimed at detecting and preventing the prevalence of radical groups will be in a better position to counter this threat than when the two institutions work separately. It will facilitate information sharing.
Conclusion
One of the main objectives of the United States Foreign Policy is to maintain international peace eliminating the terror threats in the world. Therefore, a lot of effort is put to ensure that the right decisions are made to protect the interests of the United States. While most of these policies have achieved their purpose in the past, the growth of ISIS influence in the world presents a major threat to its stability. It is worth noting that the success of the implementation of the United States resolutions in Iraq was not easy, rather, it was achieved after a number of failed compliance by Iraq. However, with endless negotiations and fair judgment, the implementation was made possible. The United States should emphasize the need for the Middle East countries to settle their differences via dialogue while shunning violence and the temptation to form alliances with terrorist organizations. However, the failure to end the ISIS crisis will create an avenue for destabilizing the US as well as other nations. It is important to note that, while pursuing this peace mission, it is vital not to fall into the trap of benefitting temporarily from the short term success at the expense of continuous peace maintenance. Hence, the US diplomacy should not give an impression of the formation of new alliances in the affected countries but rather focus on devising the means of eliminating the ISIS threat. It is worth noting that the rate of growth of the organization’s influence is alarming and requires an immediate counter measure.
References
Belkin, P., Blanchard, C. M., Humud, C. E., & Mix, D. E. (2015). European fighters in Syria and Iraq: Assessments, responses, and issues for the United States . Congressional Research Service.
Blanchard, C. M., & Humud, C. E. (2017). The Islamic State and US Policy . Congressional Research Service Washington United States.
Humud, C. E., Pirog, R. L., & Rosen, L. (2015). Islamic State Financing and US Policy Approaches . Congressional Research Service.
Katzman, K., Blanchard, C. M., Humud, C. E., Margesson, R., Tiersky, A., & Weed, M. C. (2014, November). The'Islamic State'Crisis and US Policy. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE.
Rubin, M. (2015, June). US Policy towards Islamic State after its Seizure of Ramadi and Palmyra. In Testimony Before US House of Representatives, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa (June 3, 2015), http://docs. house. gov/meetings/FA/FA13/20150603/103556/HHRG-114-FA13-Wstate-RubinM-20150603. pdf .
