ISIS
Gabriela Santana and Claudia
What is ISIS?
ISIS stands for Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. They have seized a chunk of land stretching from northern Syria to central Iraq. The group began in 2004 as al Qaeda in Iraq, before re-branding as ISIS 2 years later. Al Qaeda and ISIS were allies until 2014, when al Qaeda disowned. They are both anti- Western militant groups devoted to establishing an independent Islamic state in the region. ISIS has been proven to be more brutal and more effective at controlling territory it has seized.
Power Vacuum
A power vacuum is an analogy between a physical vacuum to the political condition "when someone has lost control of something and no one has replaced them." This situation can occur when the government has no identifiable central power or authority. ISIS is able to grow t the size they are thanks to the internet and technology. And as technology and the internet grew, so did ISIS. ISIS also uses unimaginable brutality to get what they want.
Interview 1: Boss from Work
A: Our government has been permitting these attacks since 9/11.
Q: Are you concerned about ISIS?
A: No
Q: Should the US government be concerned?
A: Yes, always.
Q: To what degree do you believe we ought to be concerned about this threat that “they want to see each of us dead”
A: The only reason I'm not concerned is because the government should be extra concerned
Interview 2: Father
A: It's concerning that all these people are coming together just to wipe out other people.
Q: Are you concerned about ISIS?
A: Yes, I think you should always be concerned because you never know which threats they will carry out, or if they are just threats.
Q: Should the US government be concerned?
A: Yes they should because they should be tying to protect the people and not just ignoring the threats.
Q: To what degree do you believe we ought to be concerned about this threat that “they want to see each of us dead”
A: I think there should be some research into the threats and some extra protocol.
Personal Thoughts
Personally, I think ISIS only threatens us to scare us, and when we get scared it gives them more power over us. Which is all they really want...power. And by being afraid, we are giving them what they want. But also if we show no fear, when they expect us to be fearful, ISIS could get mad and carry out their threat anyways. There is no way to predict what a terrorist group is going to do, so I say we just carry on with our lives, until we can do something about it. I think we should leave the borders opened as they are, because America is "the land of the free" and we aren't free if our borders are closed. Closing the borders would just create more problems, for example the crime rate could go up, because people are trying to get out and there would be a lot of illegal activity going on. By closing the borders, we are showing them more fear, Showing them that we are afraid to leave our homes and afraid to let people in, the risk of anybody being a terrorist. For all we know there could be a group of American's preparing to rebel against their own government. I would not send troops and try not to get involved unless they attack us. ISIS is smart and they know we are a superpower, so unless they are prepared for what the U.S. is capable of doing, if I were them I would stay away.
work cited
- "ISIS: Everything You Need to Know about the Group - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
- "ISIS Trail of Terror." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
- "Bombing ISIS in Syria and the NHS." BBC IPlayer Radio. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.