Out of the Desert: ISIS’s Strategy for a Long War

October 2018 No Comments

“Out of the Desert: ISIS’s Strategy for a Long War”

Speaker: Hassan, H. (The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy)

Date: 2 October 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Mr. Hassan Hassan (The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy) as a part of its SMA CENTCOM Speaker Series. During his presentation, Mr. Hassan spoke about how ISIS will likely model its new strategy after its 2008 strategy, which was implemented at a time when the organization did not have a territorial caliphate and operated primarily underground. He stated that there is great potential for the group to inflict more damage than it is today, and he briefly discussed the main points outlined in ISIS’s 55-page plan (released in 2016). Furthermore, he explained the primary themes arising in ISIS propaganda, including: 1) emphasis on assassinating community leaders, 2) the “theme of the desert,” 3) the idea that ISIS is still relevant and inflicting damage despite losing its primary territorial claims, and 4) the theme of using patience to achieve victory. To conclude his presentation, Mr. Hassan talked about ISIS giving its affiliates more attention than in the past and how these affiliates are becoming more of a core group, further noting that ISIS’s plan is already in motion as well as the likelihood that the group will become stronger than ever.

Speaker Session Audio File

Mr. Hassan’s relevant article also entitled “Out of the Desert: ISIS’s Strategy for a Long War” can be found at: http://www.mei.edu/content/out-desert-isiss-strategy-long-war