Popular Publications
Lessons from the Islamic State’s ‘Milestone’ Texts and Speeches
JANUARY 2020, VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
Authors:
Abstract: Since 2014, numerous publications have analyzed different aspects of the Islamic State, from its military tactics and ideological doctrines to its governance and media operations. This article summarizes key lessons from the authors’ efforts to collect, analyze, and present a holistic perspective of this movement through its own works and words dating as far back as its inception in the late 1990s. The authors present three frames through which to understand the movement’s ability to navigate through spectacular highs and crippling lows: the centrality of territory and population control to its revolutionaary warfare campaigns, the deliberate routinization of its leadership and organization, and the way its propaganda has continuously been deployed to support its leaders and strategy. Seen through the retrospective lens presented here, the Islamic State movement demonstrates an approach to institutional learning and adaption that has long been central to its innovations and resilience as an insurgency.
CALIPH ABU UNKNOWN: SUCCESSION AND LEGITIMACY IN THE ISLAMIC STATE
HARORO J. INGRAM AND CRAIG WHITESIDE NOVEMBER 25, 2019
Abstract: In order to understand what is unfolding today, we need to review the Islamic State’s past transitions, tease out the logic that informs how new leaders are chosen, and discover what practices it replicates from succession to succession. The Islamic State facilitates a transfer of legitimacy from the old leader to the new, protects the identity of the leader for as long as it can, and begins the posthumous elevation of deceased leaders into the movement’s folklore. There are risks and opportunities created by these parallel processes — and not just for the new leader.
Articles:
Craig Whiteside (Oct 2021), “Making the Mark on Leader Targeting,” in “Book Review Roundtable: Leader Targeting,” chaired by Stephen Tankel, Texas National Security Review. https://tnsr.org/roundtable/book-review-roundtable-leadership-targeting/
Haroro Ingram, Craig Whiteside, and Charlie Winter (May 2021). “Retransmitting the Caliphate,” Strategic Multilayer Assessment, NSI. https://nsiteam.com/social/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IIJO-Invited-Perspective_Retransmitting-the-Caliphate_FINAL.pdf
Haroro Ingram, Craig Whiteside, and Charlie Winter (Jan 2020). “Lessons from the Islamic State’s ‘Milestone’ Texts and Speeches,” Vol 13, Issue 1, CTC Sentinel https://ctc.usma.edu/lessons-islamic-states-milestone-texts-speeches/
Haroro Ingram and Craig Whiteside (Nov 25, 2019). “Caliph Abu Unknown: Succession and Legitimacy in the Islamic State,” War on the Rocks https://warontherocks.com/2019/11/caliph-abu-unknown-succession-and-legitimacy-in-the-islamic-state/
Craig Whiteside, “A Rare Inside Look into ISIL’s Franchise Business,” in “Book Review Roundtable: A Look into the Islamic State-Khorasan,” chaired by Theo Farrell, Texas National Security Review, Aug 13, 2019. https://tnsr.org/roundtable/book-review-roundtable-a-look-into-the-islamic-state-khorasan/
Ian Rice and Craig Whiteside (Aug 13, 2019). “Insurgents and the Flip Side of Special Operations,” Foreign Policy Research Institute https://www.fpri.org/article/2019/08/insurgents-and-the-flip-side-of-special-operations/
Haroro Ingram, Craig Whiteside, and Charlie Winter (May/June, 2019). “The Guerrilla ‘Caliph’: Speeches that Bookend the Islamic State’s ‘Caliphate’ Era,” Vol 12, Issue 5, CTC Sentinel https://ctc.usma.edu/guerrilla-caliph-speeches-bookend-islamic-states-caliphate-era/
Todd Greentree and Craig Whiteside, “Interview: Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth: The Enduring Consequences of US Support for the Afghan Mujahedeen during the Cold War,” CTX 9:2 (Monterey: Naval Postgraduate School, Spring 2019).
H. Ingram and C. Whiteside (Feb 25, 2019). "Do Great Nations Fight Endless Wars? Against the Islamic State, They Might." War on the Rocks warontherocks.com/2019/02/do-great-nations-fight-endless-wars-against-the-islamic-state-they-might/
Reviewed Work: “Illusions of Victory: The Anbar Awakening and the Rise of the Islamic State” by Carter Malkasian, Bustan: The Middle East Book Review (Penn State University Press), Vol 9, No. 2 (2018).
USCENTCOM White Paper, “Islamic State as a Spoiler in Afghanistan," October 2018. nsiteam.com/negotiated-settlement-in-afghanistan-elements-of-a-grand-bargain/
H. Ingram and C. Whiteside (Oct 25, 2018). The Caliph’s Role in the (un)Surprising Resilience of the Islamic State, Foreign Policy Research Institute https://www.fpri.org/article/2018/10/the-caliphs-role-in-the-unsurprising-resilience-of-the-islamic-state/
D. Brown, T. Hoyt, and C. Whiteside (Sep 11, 2018). The Python Problem: Reflections on the War on Terror, 17 years later, War on the Rocks https://warontherocks.com/2018/09/the-python-problem-reflections-on-the-war-on-terror-17-years-later/
C. Whiteside (Feb 12, 2018). “War Books: Put on your Boots, Boots, Boots…”Modern War Institute at West Point https://mwi.usma.edu/war-books-put-boots-boots-boots/
C. Whiteside (Jan 29, 2018). “While Transitioning, Please Mind the Gap!” 1001 Iraqi Thoughtshttp://1001iraqithoughts.com/2018/01/29/while-transitioning-please-mind-the-gap/
C. Whiteside (2017). “The Islamic State,” in War and Religion: An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict, ed. by T. Demy and J. Shaw. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO Books.
C. Whiteside and V. Mironova (Dec 8, 2017). “Changing Calculus and Learning from Our Enemies,” The Strategy Bridge, https://thestrategybridge.org/the-bridge/2017/12/8/changing-calculus-and-learning-from-our-enemies
C. Whiteside (Oct 3, 2017). “Political Primacy, Strategic Risks, and ISIL after the Caliphate,” IraqInContext (blog),https://www.iraqincontext.com/single-post/2017/09/26/Political-Primacy-Strategic-Risks-and-ISIL-after-the-Caliphate
H. Ingram and C. Whiteside (Sep 27, 2017). “In Search of the Virtual Caliphate: Convenient Fallacy, Dangerous Distraction,” War on the Rocks,https://warontherocks.com/2017/09/in-search-of-the-virtual-caliphate-convenient-fallacy-dangerous-distraction/
C. Whiteside (Autumn 2017). “After ISIS Symposium: Will the counter-insurgency tactics used to defeat ISIS help it recruit new fighters?” Fathomhttp://fathomjournal.org/after-isis-symposium-will-the-counter-insurgency-tactics-used-to-defeat-isis-help-it-recruit-new-fighters-craig-whiteside/
C. Whiteside (Jul 18, 2017). “The Day after ISIS: Tending Flowers in the Desert,” BICOM http://www.bicom.org.uk/blogpost/day-isis-middle-east-islamic-state-tending-flowers-desert/
C. Whiteside (Jul 13, 2017). “Winning the Blame Game: The Caliphate of Complete Disaster,” ICCT https://icct.nl/publication/winning-the-blame-game-the-caliphate-of-complete-disaster/
Colin Clarke and C. Whiteside (3 May 2017). “Charting the Future of the Modern Caliphate,” War on the Rockshttps://warontherocks.com/2017/05/charting-the-future-of-the-modern-caliphate/
C. Whiteside and Rasha al-Aqeedi (10 Mar 2017). “The Enduring Fight against the Islamic State,” Macdonald-Laurier Institute http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/the-enduring-fight-against-the-islamic-state-craig-whiteside-and-rasha-al-aqeedi-for-inside-policy/
Haroro Ingram and C. Whiteside (Feb 9, 2017). “The Yemen Raid and the Ghost of Anwar al-Awlaki,” The Atlantichttps://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/02/yemen-raid-trump-awlaki-al-qaeda-isis/516180/?utm_source=atltw#article-comments
C. Whiteside (12 Dec 2016). “Lighting the Path: The Story of the Islamic State’s Media Enterprise,” War on the Rockshttps://warontherocks.com/2016/12/lighting-the-path-the-story-of-the-islamic-states-media-enterprise/
Will McCants and C. Whiteside (Oct 2016). “The Islamic State’s Coming Rural Revival,” Lawfare blog: https://www.lawfareblog.com/islamic-states-coming-rural-revival
H. Ingram and C. Whiteside (Summer 2016). “Unexamined Consequences: Leadership Decapitation and the Rise of ISIL,” On Track, The Conference of Defense Associations Institute (Canada).http://www.cdainstitute.ca/images/on_track/On_Track_Summer_2016/On_Track_21.1.pdf
C. Whiteside (June 2016). “Don’t Kill the Caliph! The Islamic State and the Pitfalls of Leadership Decapitation, War on the Rocks.http://warontherocks.com/2016/06/dont-kill-the-caliph-the-islamic-state-and-the-pitfalls-of-leadership-decapitation/
C. Whiteside (Winter 2016). “Hassan, Hassan and Michael Weiss. ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,” Naval War College Review, p. 163-4.
C. Whiteside (Feb 2016). “The Moral Hazard of the Fight against the Islamic State in Iraq,” War on the Rocks.https://t.co/d1GUp9f3EB
Ian Rice and C. Whiteside (Jan 2016). The Return of the Zarqawists: How to deal with the Islamic State movement,” CTX Journal. https://globalecco.org/ctx-vol.-6-no.-1-february-2016
C. Whiteside (Nov 2015). “Nobody Expects the Islamic State!” War on the Rocks. http://warontherocks.com/2015/10/nobody-expects-the-islamic-state/
C. Whiteside (2015, Apr 29). “ISIL’s Small Ball Warfare: An Effective Way to Get Back Into a Ballgame,” War on the Rocks: http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/isils-small-ball-warfare-an-effective-way-to-get-back-into-a-ballgame/
C. Whiteside (2015, Mar 18). “Mosul: A Bridge Too Far,” War on the Rocks: http://warontherocks.com/2015/03/mosul-a-bridge-too-far/?singlepage=1
C. Whiteside (2014, Dec 18). “Catch and Release in the Land of Two Rivers,” War on the Rocks: http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/catch-and-release-in-the-land-of-two-rivers/3/
C. Whiteside (2014, Nov). Fallujah Redux: The Anbar Awakening and the Struggle with al Qaeda, Naval Historical Foundation: http://www.navyhistory.org/2014/11/book-review-fallujah-redux-the-anbar-awakening-and-the-struggle-with-al-qaeda/
C. Whiteside (2014, Nov 5-6). “War, Interrupted,” War on the Rocks:http://warontherocks.com/2014/11/war-interrupted-part-i-the-roots-of-the-jihadist-resurgence-in-iraq/and Part II: http://warontherocks.com/2014/11/war-interrupted-part-ii-from-prisoners-to-rulers/
C. Whiteside (2014, Sep 4). “Obama Shouldn’t Lose his Cool over the Islamic State,” War on the Rocks:http://warontherocks.com/2014/09/obama-shouldnt-lose-his-cool-over-the-islamic-state/
C. Whiteside (2014, Jul 9). “The New Caliph: Just another Broadway Joe,” War on the Rocks: http://warontherocks.com/2014/07/the-new-caliph-just-another-broadway-joe/
C. Whiteside (2013, Feb), “Innovation in Integration – Task Force Ranger and Village Stability Operations in Afghanistan, 2010-11,” Small Wars Journal: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/innovation-in-integration-task-force-iron-ranger-and-village-stability-operations-in-afghan
Interviews & Media:
Joel Wing, "Who Was Al Qaeda In Iraq’s Abu Omar al-Baghdadi? Interview With Naval War College’s Prof Craig Whiteside," Musings on Iraq, June 13, 2016: http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2016/06/who-was-al-qaeda-in-iraqs-abu-omar-al.html
Joel Wing, “Behind The Revival of the Islamic State in Iraq, Interview with Naval War College Prof Craig Whiteside,” Musings on Iraq blog, Jun 22, 2015: http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2015/06/behind-revival-of-islamic-state-in-iraq.html
Paul McGeough, “Silence of the sheikhs puts Washington's Iraq strategy in doubt,” Sydney Morning Herald, Dec 19, 2014: http://www.smh.com.au/world/silence-of-the-sheikhs-puts-washingtons-iraq-strategy-in-doubt-20141219-12ajq4.html
David Ignatius, “Stopping an Awakening before it can start,” Washington Post, David Ignatius, Nov 20, 2014: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-stopping-an-awakening-before-it-can-start/2014/11/20/5939c22a-70fc-11e4-8808-afaa1e3a33ef_story.html