21st Century Terrorism Business Model: ISIS v. Al-Qaeda
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Authors
Boll, Alexandra
Issue Date
2017-01
Volume
8
Issue
1
Type
Journal Article
Language
Keywords
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION
In the last two years, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (“ISIS”) has accomplished more than Al-Qaeda has been able to in three decades. Unlike Al-Qaeda who fell short in these areas, ISIS has been very successful in the different strategic aspects of funding, recruiting, survival, and capturing the word’s undivided attention. Proclaiming itself a caliphate in 2014, known as the Islamic State, ISIS has attempted to legitimize their organization and be the forefront leader of the Muslim movement.6 ISIS differs from other terrorist organizations by recognizing the importance of internal funding, as it reveals a new structure for operations that has proven very successful. ISIS has proven this to be successful by establishing and operating a business model unlike anything seen before; within a year of departing from Al-Qaeda, ISIS was labeled the, “World’s Richest Terrorist Group,” by Business Insider, while Forbes ranked ISIS the, “richest terrorist organization the world has known.” They have accomplished this by structuring a well-built business model utilized to establish dangerous strongholds.|This business model is defined as, “a design for the successful operation of a business, identifying revenue sources, customer base, products, and details of financing.” ISIS has created a business foundation that has allowed them to maintain operations and grow at alarming rates. The ideological and theological implications surrounding their caliphate present a significant challenge to other terrorist organizations, particularly Al-Qaeda. ISIS has suffered financial strain in 2016, and as a result has faced significant territory loss. While ISIS’s business foundation has proven overwhelmingly successful, recently, the sustainability of said model has …
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Publisher
Creighton University School of Law
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