Lent Post: Freaking ISIS, Man

Salvete.

ISIS. ISIS ISIS ISIS. This is a fun one to talk about.

For one, ISIS is not a political entity that we have seen in the past century. Let me explain. Since 1900, I'd say a good ninety percent of countries have been formed out of peace. WWI is over; let's create Estonia. We need to establish peace in a region; let's create South Sudan. Many were created and then thrust headfirst into war, such as Israel and potentially like nations such as North Korea and South Sudan. All of these examples had clear support, and powerful nations like the United States or the Soviet Union were able to pave the way to a region's own sovereignty.

ISIS, however, had no direct help, nor did it request any. It was formed because a terrorist group wanted power for its fanatic beliefs, got a few weapons, and carved out their own territory. It was born directly through war, it was bred for war, and it will likely die from war. ISIS has a stable economy, controlled territory, a set of trade networks, and a compatible system of government, so it would seem like a country. The world hasn't seen this kind of aggression since the Korean or Vietnam Wars, perhaps since the dawn of WWII. Thus, no traditional nation on Earth today knows how to handle it. No one can recognize ISIS's sovereignty since ISIS and the rest of the world have no respect for each other, and they regard each other as evil incarnate.

Personally, a nation that is to war what America is to liberty should be dealt with in kind. If ISIS is allowed to live, the entire Middle East and former caliphate would be thrown into a diplomatic frenzy; Iraq, Syria, and Libya would no longer have control of their own nations and would have to put up with this "non-state." Some nations would want to (and currently do) make trade agreements with ISIS for the oil that they control. ISIS would be, for all practical purposes, a nation, just like Jordan or Turkey. The only difference is that ISIS would try to seize its neighbors like a power-hungry Germany before WWII. The economic and diplomatic flurries would never end. Destroy them now, if only to save the diplomatic hassle later.