Issues Under Fire: Return of the Caliphate
Like a Hollywood blockbuster movie, ISIS's return of the caliphate should keep the world on the edge of its collective seat this summer. Horror story, monster flick and phycological thriller all rolled into one, this is the tale of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and how he raised Hell in the Middle East. Literally out of the desert sands, al-Baghadadi has resurrected a brutish ideological past long dead but hardly forgotten.
Ignoring borders, governments, international condemnation and intervention, al-Baghdadi's crew have marched right up to the edge of Baghdad bringing death destruction and Sharia Law along the way. Slaughtering non believers by the hundreds in the name of Allah, al-Baghdadi 's efforts has earned him the title of "caliph", thus making him leader of all Muslims everywhere.
Theoretically, al-Baghdadi can call upon jihadist worldwide to answer his call for violence. He can start creating franchise caliphates around the globe. Considering the Pew Research Center reports the world muslim population to be about 1.6 billion, or 23% of the world's population, al-Baghdadi can build one hell of an army.
Already scattered across the globe, wannabe jihadist awaiting orders to join the fight will be a nightmare for those charged with maintaining homeland security. Whether he is a leader of men or leader of maniacs, al-Baghdadi now leads the pack. If only one tenth of what's being reported about Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is true, he could likely be the most dangerous man on the planet.
From a U.S. prison compound in Iraq in 2010 to global Islamic mastermind, military strategist and tactician in 2014 is nothing short of miraculous. How the world will respond to this global threat will be interesting to say the least, because the script for this tale of insanity is being written by the day.
Bottom line: If regional players can't set aside regional issues long enough to confront Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's new Islam State, his momentum will carry his vision way beyond the region. Hence, the world will be in a lot of trouble!
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