Yes, the names are quite a mouthful, but the difference in these acronyms has geopolitical significance. The term Levant refers to the modern-day territories of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. In Arabic, this region is called Greater Syria. But name games aside, let’s focus on what makes ISIL stand out among the numerous militant groups that have emerged in the Middle East. With horrifying speed, this radical organization has gained control over territory in Syria and Iraq roughly the size of Portugal, terrorizing both the local population and Western citizens, who have fallen victim to their brutal executions. One of the main reasons why ISIL has expanded its influence so rapidly is their use of modern technology to recruit followers, says security policy expert and Visiting Fellow with the Australian National University in Canberra Dr. Clarke Jones.
“More so than any group we've seen in the past, they use social media and the Internet to drum up support around the world, from young kids as young as 16 and 17, and through it they have managed to tap into criminal networks, prisons, and segments of those most vulnerable in society and are able to generate new recruits like never before."
The militant group is believed to have over 30,000 fighters and nearly half of them are foreigners. ISIL has over 12,000 citizens from 81 countries fighting on their side, with 2,500 of them being Western nationals, according to the Soufan Group, which provides security intelligence services to governments and international corporations. ISIL has obviously succeeded in finding the right approach to the Western audience, says Adam Dolnik, Professor of Terrorism Studies at Australia’s University of Wollongong.
“They do have seasoned fighters from many countries in the world, who have added to the capacity of the fighting force. They are truly international, capable of recruiting fighters from Britain, France, Belgium, the US, Canada and other places. The fact that these people understand the Western psyche and speak the language also adds to the propaganda efforts of the IS. And many of the videos and their social network campaigns [indicate that they] are very knowledgeable of the Western psyche.”
With an estimated budget of $2 billion, ISIL is currently the world’s wealthiest militant organization. It is a self-financed group which effectively uses oil and gas resources they took over as well as cash and assets obtained in the seized territories, explains Theodore Karasik, Director of research and consultancy at INEGMA in Dubai.
“The Islamic State has tax collection. It has its own economic model. The IS is able to conduct trade in wheat and in oil. It is able to sell products along the supply routes that run through Iraq and Syria into Turkey and Jordan. And so, it is really starting to function as a state. And this is why it is more dangerous than al-Qaeda, because al-Qaeda never had a state.”
Moreover, in November ISIL announced that they would start producing their own currency using gold and silver coins in areas under their control. The jihadists explained the move by their desire to reinstate an ancient Islamic dinar currency used during the Caliphate of Uthman in 634 CE. On top of that, ISIL relies on such traditional methods of financing used by terrorist organizations as funding through organized crime, kidnapping and plain robbery. Even skeptics now agree that ISIL, with its well-organized and equipped army, has gone far beyond other self-proclaimed radical groups operating in the Middle East.
