The Islamic State (ISIS) and the threat from terrorism has dominated the news for the past 18 months. ISIS emerged from the chaos in Iraq and the Syrian civil war to seize control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria, declare itself a “caliphate,” and become the richest terrorist group in the world. The rise of the Islamic State can be largely credited to the convergence of its terrorist and criminal activities in the occupied territories that provide the critical resources like funding, arms, and foreign fighters for ISIS to thrive. While ISIS initially focused on consolidating its power base in the Levant, the October 2015 downing of a Russian plane over the Sinai, the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris directed by ISIS, and the December 2 ISIS-inspired attack in San Bernardino, California demonstrate the global aspirations and threat of the Islamic State well beyond Syria and Iraq.
ISIS’ Illicit Economy
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