L. Ali Khan — The Unviability of an Islamic Caliphate: Who Can be Caliph?

Islamic history with implications for today.

Counterpunch
The Unviability of an Islamic Caliphate: Who Can be Caliph?

L. Ali Khan, founder of Legal Scholar Academy and a professor of law at Washburn University, Kansas

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi — The Islamic State 'Masterplan' of Administration- Some Analytical Notes

The Guardian today has a huge story based on a 'masterplan' text I leaked to the paper entitled 'Principles in the Administration of the Islamic State'. The text- likely written at some point between June and October 2014- concerns a variety of aspects of administration, including management of oil resources, composition of military ranks and propaganda. You can read the whole text, which I translated, here.

The sign-off notably says that admin cadres are to receive instruction in administration according to the text. The question then arises of how far the Islamic State is actually following this administrative plan. Here are a few thoughts of my own...

Pundicity
The Islamic State 'Masterplan' of Administration- Some Analytical Notes
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
ht/ Pepe Escobar

Daniel Lazare — The Collision Course in Syria

After Bush's folly in Iraq, Obama's folly in Syria and it far from over yet in both Iraq and Syria with both the future costs on all sides and the ultimate outcome uncertain.

A quarter of a million people would eventually die as a consequence of Obama’s miscalculation, 7.6 million would be displaced, and another four million would be driven abroad, all this in a country of just 22 million prior to the onset of civil war.

To put this in perspective, it is as if 3.6 million Americans had died as a result of a foreign-financed civil war, 110 million had been driven out of their homes, and another 58 million had been forced to flee abroad to Canada, Mexico or whatever other country would take them, where they would have no choice but to beg or perhaps sell ballpoint pens to passers-by in hopes of scratching out a living.

Instead of democracy, the U.S.-led push to overthrow Assad put Syria on the path to catastrophe. Obama could have hit the pause button at any point once it became clear where the effort was going.…

Daniel Lazare outlines how Obama got in bed with the devil.

Daniel Lazare catalogues how this is now spinning out of control.

Consortium News
The Collision Course in Syria
Daniel Lazare

See also

The “War on Terror” – now more than 14 years long – has trapped the U.S. and other nations in the “dark side” of human behavior, a dilemma that is both moral and practical because the continued use of brutal methods has only made the crisis worse, as Nicolas J S Davies explains.

In the Dark on the ‘Dark Side’
Nicolas J S Davies

Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed — ISIS wants to destroy the 'grey zone'. Here's how we defend it

ISIS versus Western strategy. ISIS understands its enemy, while the West does not. The West needs to wise up.

Open Democracy
ISIS wants to destroy the 'grey zone'. Here's how we defend it
Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed
crossposted at Raging Bull-Shit

Alastair Crooke — Lost on the ‘Dark Side’ in Syria

The full story of how the U.S. ended up allied with some Sunni extremists in Syria – while at war with others – is a convoluted tale dating back to President George W. Bush’s neocons venturing off into Vice President Cheney’s “dark side” to work with violent jihadists, writes British diplomat Alastair Crooke.

Jaw-dropper if you aren't already aware of the history. The US was up to its eyeballs in facilitating jihadism in furtherance of its perceived interests from 1979, as Zbig admits. This is bipartisan politically in the US, just as is the deep state. Even those who are aware of the history may have something to learn, too. Quick summary: snakepit with US fingerprints all over it.

Consortium News
Lost on the ‘Dark Side’ in Syria

Alastair Crooke

William R. Polk — Falling into the ISIS Trap

Special Report: The Islamic State has entered into “phase two” of its plan. After establishing a rudimentary “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq (phase one), it is now seeking to provoke the West into a self-defeating overreaction, a trap that “tough” politicians are falling into, as historian William R. Polk describes.

The background.

Consortium News
Falling into the ISIS Trap
William R. Polk

Pepe Escobar — Paris terror attacks — who profits?

Covers a lot of ground.

Asia Times
Paris terror attacks — who profits?
Pepe Escobar

Sputnik — Scary Prediction: ISIL in Seven Steps as Forecasted Back in 2005

Back in 2005, a Jordanian journalist brought out a book detailing al-Qaeda's seven-point master plan to establish an Islamic Caliphate in the Middle East; back then it was skeptically dismissed by the German media as ‘absurd’, but let’s have a look to what extent it had really worked out.

Sputnik International
Scary Prediction: ISIL in Seven Steps as Forecasted Back in 2005

RT — ‘ISIS is just an idea; you can’t go to war against an idea’

That's the problem. It's a powerful idea.

RT
‘ISIS is just an idea; you can’t go to war against an idea’

AFP — ISIS leaders declare that territory taken in Syria and Iraq is now a ‘caliphate’

Jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq announced Sunday the establishment of an “caliphate”, referring to the system of rule that ended nearly 100 years ago with the fall of the Ottomans. 

In an audio recording distributed online, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) declared its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “the caliph” and “leader for Muslims everywhere”.

The Raw Story
ISIS leaders declare that territory taken in Syria and Iraq is now a ‘caliphate’
Agence France-Presse