Two things that I am interested in researching further are the ways ISIS recruits from all over the world, and what the power status is in Libya. The two articles I read are a few examples of the power struggle in Libya, and a who’s who of foreign recruits.
When it comes to the variety of people fighting for ISIS, there is no shortage. ISIS has field commanders that come from Tunisia, London and as far as America and Georgia of the former Soviet Union. I found numerous articles of tales of the disaffected and even a few Americans who caught the wave of inspiration that ISIS radiates. The article that most caught my eye was,The Secret Life of an ISIS Warlord. This article goes into the life of Omar The Chechen, a top field commander from ISIS. Omar originated from Georgia of the former Soviet Union and was in the Georgian army. Before transferring to the ISIS regime, Omar was also an officer in the Georgian army. Apparently his battle field experience started as a youth, fighting alongside Russian rebels. By the time Omar reached the legit ranks of military, he was prime for war. Omar lead many successful campaigns for the Georgian army and rose through the ranks. A back injury, paired with the death of his mother, would send him into dissolution. Because of his injury, Omar was not able to reenlist and this left a void that could not be filled. Following the departure of his older brother to Libya, Omar went to fight along side ISIS forces. The question to ask now is, how far is ISIS’ reach? If ISIS can recruit a Georgian as well as western foreigners, then how long will this war last? With an apparent pool of to choose from, ISIS is now resourcing talent in interesting ways. ISIS has talented personnel that are savvy in western media, war tactics, organizational skills and anything in between. This could be the source to their success. They are appealing to the easily influenced youth of the modern world, all while sticking to powerful old world spiritual fundamentalism and war tactics of waging jihad that have been used in that area for generations. Is ISIS the pinnacle of the rebel sectarian culture that has dominated the region? If so, then Baghdadi’s claim to being the caliph and bringing forth the 6th caliphate may not be so preposterous. But then again, does Baghdadi truly believe that he is the next Muslim Emperor? It’s not hard to criticize his harsh tactics in conquering land. I don’t think that a true leader of people could be so unsympathetic toward those that don’t believe in what he does especially when that leaders actions completely contradict his beliefs. Be-headings and imprisonment go against the very basic teachings of the Qur’an but ISIL feels that this is the only way to cleanse their land of the infidels, which is the broader and more important goal to them so that they can bring forth the 6th caliphate. It’s almost as if they have reached a status where they reveal to the world that borders and laws are not really finite but things made by the old and western worlds. To them, common cultural beliefs transcend these borders and cannot be defeated because it is an idea and not a thing.
The second article that I found was Tripoli-backed fighters sent to Sirte to confront ISIL. Although ISIL has presence in many places, they are not the only ones in LIbya. Since Moammar Ghadafi was brutally taken out of office, there has been a serious power vacuum. As many a three major groups are fighting for power, all of whom have several smaller rebel groups supporting them. The UN-Recognized government has almost no power in Libya, while other groups are vying for it. Libya has a new contender, ISIL. They are the newest regime to enter the battle realm that is Libya, many of whom have been in place before Ghadafi’s fall. What does this mean for the future of the middle east? Is Baghdadi’s proclamation of him the new Caliph true? Yes and no. Yes in the sense that ISIL has taken up a considerable amount of actual territory that they control, along with being able to print their own money and passports, which essentially means they are a nation. This is something that al-Qaeda or the Taliban has done or wants to do. I’m certain it is a daunting task to run a grassroots revolution while running a Caliph, as they believe. But is this new occupation of territory an all encompassing movement of Islamic unity or just the agenda of ISIS while the majority suffers the affects of war. There are highly influential Islamic leaders that feel ISIS is a group of heretics and feel that they are destroying the religion as a whole, which very well might be their intent. Out with the old, in with the new.