ISIS 101 or Terrorist Organization for Dummies

[packman]

"Many of its leaders are former officers from Saddam Hussein’s long-disbanded army who augmented their military training with terrorist techniques during years of fighting American troops"

That disbanded army (thank you Bush and Cheney and others in that administration who insisted on disbanding the Iraq army) provided the seeds for what the area is now reaping.

Site has quite a bit of info on ISIS, including a world map of where its members are coming from - Russia, Tunsia, China, etc.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/16/world/middleeast/how-isis-works.html?_r=1

[Warpy]

1. Well, hell's bells, what a surprise there.

While they're drawing hotheads from all over the region, their military campaign does speak of a lot of knowledge somewhere.

My best guess is that it's the hotheads who are doing the executions and beheadings. The problem with allowing hotheads into your organization is that they won't take orders from anyone, including the top.

[grahamhgreen]

2. In other words, we are still fighting the iraq military.... now, with weapons we gave them. Out now.

This is about perpetual war for profit, and the 1400 year old sunni/shia conflict. We can't 'win'.