How does ISIS's strategy differ from Al Qaeda's?

My testimony is organized into four sections. I first offer some general background on the origins of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. I then discuss the threat profiles for each group, assessing both their strategies and tactics. The third section looks at the struggle to win over affiliate groups in the Muslim world. read more

ISIS is different from Al Qaeda in one more way. Al Qaeda was much more tolerant than ISIS. Al Qaeda considers Shi’a Muslims to be apostates but sees their killing to be too extreme, a waste of resources, and detrimental to the broader jihadist project. read more

The Islamic State does not follow Al Qaeda’s “far enemy” strategy, preferring instead the “near enemy” strategy, albeit on a regional level. As such, the primary target of the Islamic State has not been the United States, but rather “apostate” regimes in the Arab world—namely, the Asad regime in Syria and the Abadi regime in Iraq. read more

The Obama administration is targeting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) under the same authority it is using to target al Qaeda, arguing that the ISIS is an “associated force” of al Qaeda since ISIS used to be al Qaeda in Iraq. read more