Return and expand? : the finances and prospects of the Islamic State after the caliphate / Patrick B. Johnston, Mona Alami, Colin P. Clarke, Howard J. Shatz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnston, Patrick B.

Contributor:

Alami, Mona.

Clarke, Colin P.

Shatz, Howard J.

International Security and Defense Policy Center.

Rand Corporation.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

IS (Organization)--Finance.

IS (Organization).

Terrorism--Finance.

Terrorism.

Insurgency--Finance.

Insurgency.

Terrorism--United States--Prevention.

Finance.

United States.

Terrorism--Prevention--International cooperation.

Terrorism--Prevention.

Physical Description:

xxi, 145 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, CA : RAND, 2019.

Summary:

With the end of its territorial caliphate, the Islamic State will almost certainly attempt a comeback. Such efforts will require money. The authors examine the group's history as an insurgency and a self-styled caliphate, drawing from the literature, the group's documents, and interviews with individuals who lived under the caliphate, with a focus on how the group has financed itself. The Islamic State has prided itself on drawing from local funding sources rather than external donations. As a territorial caliphate, it could openly levy taxes and fees and sell oil from fields it controlled to cover its expenses. Now that it can no longer rely on such sources, the group will go with activities that it has used successfully in the past, as an insurgency. Criminal activities will prove useful, with its members seeking to extort, kidnap, steal, smuggle, and traffic to obtain the money they need to finance the group's activities. On top of this, the Islamic State likely has detailed information on the population it once ruled, and it appears to have sizable assets in reserve. As an insurgency, rather than a territorial government, its expenses are far lower than they were at the peak of its power. Accordingly, the United States will need to stay involved with counter-Islamic State activities across several lines of effort, including counterfinance and potentially including military action.

Contents:

Introduction

The Islamic State's Ideology, Strategy, and Organization

Islamic State Revenues

Raising Revenue: On-the-Ground View

Islamic State Expenditures

Conclusions and Implications.

Notes:

"RAND National Security Research Division."

"This research was ... conducted within the International Security and Defense Policy Center of the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD)"--Preface (page iv).

Includes bibliographical references (pages 123-145).

Description based on print resource.

ISBN:

1977403190

9781977403193

OCLC:

1114247302