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ISIS Risks Everything to Declare a Caliphate
The Daily Beast ^ | June 29, 2014 | J.M. Berger

Posted on 06/29/2014 9:20:56 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

After months of gaining territory, weapons, and cash, ISIS is putting its global credibility on the line in a play that could backfire spectacularly.

On Sunday morning, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, or ISIL, if you must) pronounced the reformation of the caliphate—the historical Islamic state that once stretched over much of the modern-day Muslim world—with ISIS emir Abu Bakr al Baghdadi as the man in charge.

It’s arguably the boldest move yet by the group, which renamed itself simply The Islamic State. But if ISIS isn’t careful, this could be the moment when all of its gains in Iraq and Syria are squandered; when would-be allies are alienated; and when the group’s critics within the jihadi community were proven right all along.

In the statement—released in Arabic, English, German, French, and Russian—ISIS claimed that it had fulfilled all the legal requirements for the caliphate and that all existing jihadi groups and indeed all Muslims around the world were religiously obligated to swear loyalty to the new Caliph Ibrahim (using the name provided by ISIS in the course of proving that Baghdadi has the required lineage for the title).

Prior to this pronouncement, my assessment was that there was almost no way ISIS could exit June in worse shape than it entered the month, and that still holds. But July is beginning to look like an open question. ISIS, an al Qaeda breakaway group, had made a bold move to seize territory in Iraq that had resulted in tremendous gains in both equipment and money. Even if it lost all of the territory it gained in June, it would still retain many of those spoils, with new clout, status and physical assets to compete with the other jihadi groups operating in Syria and near the Iraq border....

(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; caliphate; iraq; isil; isis; islam; middleeast; obama
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1 posted on 06/29/2014 9:20:56 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I liked the name ISIS better than the new name ... “The Islamic State”.


2 posted on 06/29/2014 9:25:18 PM PDT by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: Star Traveler

I think they should call themselves, ‘The Sausage Sultans of Baghdad.’


3 posted on 06/29/2014 9:29:00 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Backfire? Fear not, Obama will make sure it is not backfiring.


4 posted on 06/29/2014 9:33:14 PM PDT by lavaroise (A well regulated gun being necessary to the state, the rights of the militia shall not be infringed)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I still do not understand where exactly ISIS came from.


5 posted on 06/29/2014 9:33:33 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: GeronL

follow the money all the way back to Obama. They were previously called Syrian “freedom fighters” since Obama was supporting rebels (albeit Al Qaida rebels) and they became what is known as ISIS.


6 posted on 06/29/2014 9:40:14 PM PDT by Blue Highway
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Wonder when Barry will bow to the new Caliphate?


7 posted on 06/29/2014 9:41:21 PM PDT by kiryandil (turning Americans into felons, one obnoxious drunk at a time (Zero Tolerance!!!))
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
This was a rational analysis, but it won't work to use reason to determine their outlook. ISIS is trying to hasten the islamic Apocalypse. Unlike Christians who try to predict the end times, but don't have any way of making it happen, the muslim Apocalypse seems to be brought about by the actions of muslims themselves, and ISIS is trying to act the part. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the muslim Apocalypse is not Skittles and rainbows. It is beheadings and rivers of blood type stuff.

* By the way the spell checker here is broken. It keeps asking me to capitalize words like "muslim" and "islam."

8 posted on 06/29/2014 9:44:40 PM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: Blue Highway

They were al-Qaeda in Iraq, and we buttered their turbans, so they went to Syria and the Brothers there found them too nasty and chased them off.
So now they’re taking advantage of US weakness, AKA the Obama administration. Barry has yet to find a matter he can’t make worse, especially in foreign affairs where they aren’t impressed with his blustering.


9 posted on 06/29/2014 9:48:46 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: Blue Highway

I am almost envious, can we launch a revolution like that (Not Islamic) here?


10 posted on 06/29/2014 9:55:47 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Need I ask if obama’s on board with this?


11 posted on 06/29/2014 9:56:23 PM PDT by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.)
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To: Vince Ferrer

Yes. Ostensibly rationale. But odd to me.

It is like a baseball analysis of a team and it’s competition.

That in itself is a wrong way to look at this. It is very real, not a sport.

Yet as far as the sports analogy goes, the problem seems to be the analyst doesn’t really understand the game.


12 posted on 06/29/2014 10:00:26 PM PDT by ifinnegan
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Let’s see which one of the Muslim states will be the first to recognize the Caliphate and see what Bambi’s reaction to that will be.


13 posted on 06/29/2014 10:03:02 PM PDT by 353FMG
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To: kiryandil

The Caliphate’s greatest target will be Saudi Arabia because of the “holy” cities of Mecca and Medina.

Imagine the prestige ISIS will enjoy among the Muslim countries if it can lay claim to these places.


14 posted on 06/29/2014 10:08:38 PM PDT by 353FMG
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
After months of gaining territory, weapons, and cash, ISIS is putting its global credibility on the line in a play that could backfire spectacularly.

On Sunday morning, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, or ISIL, if you must) pronounced the reformation of the caliphate—the historical Islamic state that once stretched over much of the modern-day Muslim world—with ISIS emir Abu Bakr al Baghdadi as the man in charge.

65 Years ago: After months of gaining territory, weapons, and cash, Germany is putting its global credibility on the line in a play that could backfire spectacularly.

On Sunday morning, the Nazi State of Germany pronounced the Thousand Year Reich with Adolf Hitler as the man in charge.

Bah! This is not a branding exercise. It's about a strongman making audacious moves, having them succeed, and then doubling down. If his military continue to support him, the public rallies to his side, and borders continue to fall, who knows where it ends.

15 posted on 06/29/2014 10:14:00 PM PDT by AZLiberty (No tag today.)
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To: AZLiberty

Well articulated.


16 posted on 06/29/2014 10:20:30 PM PDT by ifinnegan
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To: GeronL

Yeah, sure - how bloody do you want to get?


17 posted on 06/29/2014 10:34:59 PM PDT by SatinDoll (A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN IS BORN IN THE US OF US CITIZEN PARENTS.)
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To: tumblindice
I think they should call themselves, ‘The Sausage Sultans of Baghdad.’

Or, the "terrorist group formerly known as ISIS", with a weird Arabic squigly siqn to replace ISIS.

18 posted on 06/29/2014 10:48:00 PM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: Star Traveler
I liked the name ISIS better than the new name ...

And I always thought Isis was an Egyptian goddess...

19 posted on 06/29/2014 10:48:17 PM PDT by AmericanExceptionalist (Democrats believe in discussing the full spectrum of ideas, all the way from far left to center-left)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Obama will soon add Ameristan to the list. Trust me, if the MSM told the lemmings to all become Muslim, they would. We live in an indoctriNation


20 posted on 06/29/2014 11:01:11 PM PDT by Viennacon (Rebuke the Repuke!)
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