Book/Printed Material Assessment of the Politico-Military Campaign to Counter ISIL and Options for Adaptation

Title

• Assessment of the Politico-Military Campaign to Counter ISIL and Options for Adaptation

Summary

• "This report assesses the campaign against the Islamic State (ISIL), focusing on the military and political lines of effort. The capabilities and motivation of the various counter-ISIL forces on the battlefield are assessed, as well as the U.S.-led efforts to provide training, equipment, advice, and assistance, including air support. While the campaign has degraded ISIL by targeting leadership and retaking a portion of territory, achieving lasting defeat of ISIL will be elusive without local forces capable of holding territory. Successful conclusion of the campaign will require significantly increased effort on two fronts. First, more-comprehensive training, advising, and assisting will be required to create more-capable , coordinated indigenous forces of appropriate composition and enable them to regain and hold territory. Second, political agreements must be forged to resolve key drivers of conflict among Iraqis and Syrians. Without these elements, resurgent extremist violence is likely. Many factors complicate the prospects for success, including sectarian divisions in Iraq, Iranian support for Shia militias in Iraq and Syria, the Syrian civil war, and Russian intervention to support the besieged regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. However, the Syrian regime also lacks sufficient competent local forces and is heavily reliant on external militia support. The government in Iraq, led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, has pledged decentralization efforts to address Sunni concerns, but lacks sufficient Shia support to enact them. This report offers recommendations for a more comprehensive advisory approach, emphasizing the political line of effort, and achieving synergy between the military and political efforts"--Back cover.

Names

• Robinson, Linda, 1962- author
• National Defense Research Institute (U.S.)
• United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Secretary of Defense, sponsoring body

Created / Published

• Santa Monica, Calif. : RAND Corporation, [2016]
• ©2016

Contents

• The Counter-ISIL Strategy, the Political Context, and the Threat -- Assessing the Counter-ISIL Forces -- Assessment of the Counter-ISIL Campaign -- Recommendations.

Headings

• -  IS (Organization)
• -  Terrorism--Middle East--Prevention--History--21st century
• -  Terrorism--Religious aspects--Islam--History--21st century
• -  Islamic fundamentalism--History--21st century
• -  Islam and politics--Middle East--History--21st century
• -  Insurgency--Middle East--History--21st century
• -  Security, International--History--21st century
• -  United States--Military policy--History--21st century
• -  United States--Politics and government--21st century
• -  Insurgency
• -  Islam and politics
• -  Islamic fundamentalism
• -  Military policy
• -  Politics and government
• -  Security, International
• -  Terrorism--Prevention
• -  Terrorism--Religious aspects--Islam
• -  Middle East
• -  United States
• -  2000-2099

Notes

• -  "RR-1290-OSD"--Cover page 4.
• -  "RAND National Defense Research Institute."
• -  "Prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense."
• -  Also available on the Internet as a PDF file.
• -  Includes bibliographical references (pages 75-79).
• -  Description based on print version record; resource not viewed.

Medium

• 1 online resource (xi, 79 pages) : illustrations.

Call Number/Physical Location

• HV6433.M5

Digital Id

• https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/gdcebookspublic.2024739975

Library of Congress Control Number

• 2024739975

Rights Advisory

• This is non-restricted, fully open content that may be accessed on and off of the Library of Congress campus, with no restrictions, by an unlimited number of users

Access Advisory

• Unrestricted online access

Online Format

• image
• pdf

LCCN Permalink

• https://lccn.loc.gov/2024739975

Additional Metadata Formats

• MARCXML Record
• MODS Record
• Dublin Core Record