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WAR & CONFLICT

The ISIL franchiseFrom Syria to Pakistan and Libya, the armed Sunni group is expanding its brand of

violence in the region.

20 Feb 2015 18:09 GMT | War & Conflict, Middle East, Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria, ISIL

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Egyptian Christians mourn for 21 Coptic Egyptian killed by ISIL in the Libyan city of Sirte [AP]

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Imran Khan@AJImran

“Without understanding howthey operate it's unlikelythey'll be defeated.

Imran Khan, Al Jazeera

Right now intense negotiations are going on at the UN Security Council regardingLibya and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The Libyans want an arms embargo lifted so they can secure the weaponry neededto fight the group, which has brutally murdered Egypt’s Coptic Christians working inLibya and travels with impunity in Libyan territory in large convoys.

In Nigeria, Boko Haram have managed to delayelections and have increasingly publicly comecloser to ISIL, developing a media campaignthat's closer to ISIL's in execution, and referringto themselves as the Islamic State in WestAfrica.

In Egypt, the group Ansar al­Beit al­Maqdis hasalso changed its name, going now by the

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”moniker 'Sinai Province' and has pledgedallegiance to ISIL.

In Pakistan some factions of the PakistaniTaliban have declared they are backing ISIL and share its goals.

On the surface, ISIL is developing into a global outfit with a reach far beyond its self­declared and internationally unrecognised borders in Iraq and Syria.

Quite simply, ISIL is franchising out its brand to other groups and becoming the pre­eminent armed group. In that sense it's aping successful business models and it's asmart move. The only difference is that in the business world a franchise agreementcomes with a contract. For ISIL it comes in the form of a pledge of allegiance or ashow of support.

ISIL's 'corporate structure'

Amanda Rogers is an academic who has lectured extensively on ISIL's rise as acorporate structure.

"ISIL acts like a corporation because it works, it adopts corporate logic, as it isincreasingly the manner in which effective governance is conducted and adoptsbranding.

The ‘black flag’ makes an impact for both audiences terrified of an imminent globalkhilafa, as well as those eager for such a creation. Consumers will identify with arecognisable brand and that helps with expansion," she said.

What separated ISIL from other rebel groups was its organisational skills. ISILoperated with a clear, top­down management structure. Using money initially fromSaudi sheikhs, it consolidated territory through aggressive expansion.

Once again the parallels can be drawn between business and Jihad. Imagine acompany in tech industry that sells software en masse. To keep market dominanceit's often cheaper to take over smaller competing companies and shut them down orfold them into your existing business than it is to compete with them.

That's what ISIL do. They would arrive at the outskirts of a town, and send in anemissary who would give the towns leaders a stark choice. Join us or die. Sometimeswhole towns would fall in Syria without ISIL firing a shot, other times the takeoverwould be bloody.

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ISIL advance brings fear to Baghdad

Switching to organised crime

In June ISIL went further, pushing into Iraq using the same tactic. They met littleresistance. The reputation had spread; the aggressive takeover doctrine worked.

Like all businesses, ISIL needscash and cashflow management tokeep going. In ISIL's case theytaxed the territories they took, tookover running of civil services andbegan to sell oil and other high­value goods including Syrianantiquities.

Sajad Jiyad is a director ofresearch for the Iraqi Institute of Economic Reform. He said the financial side of ISILwill be difficult to defeat unless the group is tackled as a whole.

"The military effort, if it succeeds, will push ISIL underground, if the financing andideology are not tackled. This has happened before and with other groups. So themilitary effort by itself can be successful without totally effective at destroying ISIL."

In that case ISIL can switch from corporate to an organised crime entity and live tofight another day.

However, the group isn't thinking about defeat. Like all good business models, ISIL isdiversifying. Its media division pumps out videos and there's a glossy magazine calledAl Dabiq. All share a synergy, a common theme.

ISIL's 'target market'

Another comparison of the way ISIL operates as a corporation is competition.

Much like the much­publicised rivalry between Coca Cola and Pepsi, ISIL also has amajor rival: al­Qaeda. The target market for ISIL is the same as the soft drinks giants.Consumers.

In ISIL's case, it's all about getting sympathy for its actions and recruits to its cause.That's why ISIL created the state, and it is why they choose brutal, headline­grabbingmethods of murder.

The more publicity, the more 'consumers' of its product and the more it can further

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25 days ago

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Mezzo Shemo

franchise its brand and the more successful it becomes against its rival al­Qaeda.

ISIL even has a core target market that it pitches to. Sunni Muslims, who fear aIranian Shia­dominated region that'll subjugate the Sunni' further.

Every ISIL move, every message, everything it stands for is singular. In corporateterms, ISIL is associated with one key attribute. Representing Sunni anger, much thesame way Coca Cola is about sharing a moment with friends. That's a powerfuladvertising message.

OPINION: Don't let ISIL divide us

But ISIL's ambitions go way beyond just operating as a corporation. The corporatestructure is a means to an end. The end is a legitimate state recognised by the world.

It's unknown whether any of the leaders studied business but regardless of whetherthey have or not, the rules have been applied.

With a variety of groups globally now joining or openly supporting the group, ISILhave cemented the one thing all business want. A valued brand that can betransfered across terroritory.

Whether they can make the jump from corporation to state is unlikely, but withoutunderstanding how they operate it's unlikely they'll be defeated.

Source: Al Jazeera

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27 days ago

Dont mistake Daesh/ ISIL/ISIS or what ever the F there called as a franchise...They are a PLAGUE ofHuman Locusts with one intention to devour and destroy everything that fall before them...

Anonymous

ISIS/ISIL is simply bringing the true face of islam to the forefront. Whatever little secular ideology and/or"culture" was brought to asia, africa and the middle east is slowly being eroded to bring back the naturalstate and mentality of the peoples in those parts of the world, FACT! This is hardly anything new, onlyWestern puppetry of those peoples' government had kept them from expressing the destructive nature ofislam and arab culture. As a matter of fact it is islamic fascist ideology in full swing a la Muhammad era.Anyone who thinks this is an aberrant interpretation of islam is a fool and in total denial of what islam standsfor. I hope ISIS/ISIL buries them all and keeps them away from the west and locked in perpetual ignorance.

jan7one

watever western leaders and arab puppets say about ISIS,one thing is clear ISIS is here to stay,and theyare creating history by chalenging so called superpowers,u need to admire their organizational skills

Rafael Amador

When the future scares you its may makes sense to try to runaway 1400 years back in time.

Hizan

There are a lot of professionals in ISIS. What attract them somebody got to do some research !!!!!

Anonymous

ah, yeah, sure, I'm still waiting to see their "Professional" altruistic nature to kick in. Theirachievements of burning people alive while in a cage or beheading people en mass among otherdestructive methods of anything deemed "offensive" ain't exactly screaming "intelligent' oreducated. I think it is time you stick your head back in the toilet, you ain't sounding that smart, littleconvert one.

Winter Green

I've thought a great deal about the narrative coming from some of those who support Islam, Christianity oreven Jewish and use quotes from whatever book they value to show how they are superior, chosen and areright and how they have to dot every i and cross every t. What would happen if any of these religions tookquotes from their books that speak of the 3 Truths:

1) Quote from qu'ran/bible/torah 2:32 ... 'We are all One Humanity and should live in Peace one to another'.

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2) Quote qu'ran/bible/torah 33:16 ... 'We are all born Naked and women should never be ashamed of theirbeauty or cover themselves or hide away and men should know they have total control over their sexualenergy and can live respectfully with the beauty of all women.'

3 Quote qu'ran/bible/torah 23:1 .. 'We are all born Equal. The sun shines on all things therefore we shouldrespect one another, all species, our planet, air, soil and water.'

4 Quote qu'ran/bible/torah 73:108:2 ... 'As One Humanity who cares for All Things, our greatest obligation isto constantly bring forward a Great Renewal through our efforts to replant, regenerate, restore, rebuild, re­design.

Gee ... what would the world look like if these quotes were the foundation for a movement for those whobelieve in the 3 abrahamic faiths. Until then we must say: 'NO, not in the name of religion are you going tobehave so outrageously.'

Kumar Chengara

Its a free franchize to adhore human rights abuses, enslavement and bloodbath, inhuman savages!

Farhan Khan

When state terrorism is virtually legitimized e,g Indian Stater terrorism in Kashmir, Israel stateterrorism in Palestine then nobody give a sh,it about what non­state terrorists do with rest of theworld... So keep calm and wait for ISIS to behead you while you keep watching sunny leonemoaning on some bollywood movie

Anonymous

spoken like a true little indian who converted to arab religion and now can't stop being asubservient dog to his master the arab!!!

Draco2023b

You're a fapper!!!!

Fred LaMotte

Yep." ISIS" is the brand name of the Saudi dynasty in the Middle East. The Saudi brand name in the U.S. is"Bush."

Jeff Jeffries

ISIS = Saudi Arabia

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infinitecanadian

'Brand'? Forget Reebok or Nike; the new 'brand' is out. It's speciality: vests made of dynamite!

SeaNote

It's not a franchise, it's an infectious disease for the disaffected losers of the world.

Richard Livermore

Surely, they are already a state. To understand that, you need to get rid of the social contract idea of thestate and recognise it only as something which exercises it authority through force ­ originally throughconquest. They may not be a de jure state recognised by the UN, but they are a de facto state.

Winter Green

Since so many Muslims are being killed by other Muslims who think they are superior, you would think thatthe broader Muslim community would gather together and say: 'NO, not in the name of my religion are yougoing to behave so outrageously'.

I've thought a great deal about those who believe in Christianity or even Jewish can spout quotes fromwhatever book they value that show how they are superior, chosen, right and how they have to dot every iand cross every t. What would any of these religions sound like if they took quotes from their books thatspeak of the 3 Truths:

1) Quote from qu'ran/bible/torah 2:32 ... 'We are all One Humanity and should live in Peace one to another'.

2) Quote qu'ran/bible/torah 33:16 ... 'We are all born Naked and women should never be ashamed of theirbeauty or cover themselves or hide away and men should know they have total control over their sexualenergy and can live respectfully with the beauty of all women.'

3 Quote qu'ran/bible/torah 23:1 .. 'We are all born Equal. The sun shines on all things therefore we shouldrespect one another, all species, our planet, air, soil and water.'

4 Quote qu'ran/bible/torah 73:108:2 ... 'As One Humanity who cares for All Things, our greatest obligation isto constantly bring forward a Great Renewal through our efforts to replant, regenerate, restore, rebuild, re­design.

Gee ... what would the world look like if these quotes were the foundation for a movement for those whobelieve in the 3 abrahamic faiths. Until then we must say: 'NO, not in the name of religion are you going tobehave so outrageously.'

o1dm8

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Beautiful quotes. Indeed, how different our world would be (for the better) if these quotes wereembraced and shared.

ISIS continue to chop heads off and burn people alive in the name of Islam yet the only thing thatseems to get Muslims out to protest is childish cartoons. This is truly sad.

Kevin Gagnier

You hit the head right on the nail there!

Anonymous

were they to protest against ISIS/ISIL they would simply get blown up or beheaded. It iseasier to protest in civilized society, ask them all who occupy Western territories.

Dokazano Istinito

copty, in egypt thay have support "new pharaone" in egypt..i say everyone have right to live in peace, but supporting war against muslims that is inakceptabl. that is not right

Dokazano Istinito

kopti are peoppel who have help to be egypt again "pharaone regime"..i dont acused kopti, but as peopellthay have not protect te peace and freedom for egypt....i dont know why thay dont protect muslims

bullet

ISIL, your only existence is to bring more evil into existence. Your actions brings the Dajeel, the anti­Jesus.Every thing else is Gods will.

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