The remnants of the Islamic state in Syria : military action alone cannot defeat it

Abstract

After five years of fierce battles, in March 2019 a military campaign succeeded in bringing down the Caliphate that Islamic State (IS) declared in 2014 with the liberation of the group’s last stronghold in eastern Syria by US-backed Kurdish forces. However, while IS lost its territory, the group with its fighters and ideology remain robust in Syria. As IS attacks are increasing in the areas controlled by Kurdish forces, Syrian opposition factions and the Syrian regime, these different actors and their foreign allies follow a military approach as the only strategy to defeat the group. However, military action will be insufficient to defeat IS unless it is accompanied by other political, economic and religious measures. This paper analyses the size and scope of IS activities over the past two years and the factors that strengthen the group’s presence, and it offers policy recommendations on the measures needed to defeat IS in Syria.