Demythologize ISIS

In TCF World’s inaugural podcast episode, Century Foundation fellows Thanassis Cambanis, Michael Wahid Hanna, Aron Lund, and Sam Heller try to put to rest some of the mythology and exaggerations that have grown up around the Islamic State (also known as ISIS). After three years of power in a self-declared caliphate, ISIS is on the run from Mosul, its capital in Iraq, and is on the verge of defeat in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. Nonetheless, many commentators and U.S. policymakers still contend that ISIS is as powerful as ever, and is winning even while appearing to lose.   The Century Foundation’s foreign policy team considers drivers of the Islamic State’s resilience and resurgence, its actual strengths and potential, the impact of territorial losses, and the fragile commitment of some governments to exterminate ISIS.   This podcast is a remastered and edited version of a conversation originally posted on July 18, 2017.     Participants include: Thanassis Cambanis, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation Michael Wahid Hanna, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation Aron Lund, Fellow, The Century Foundation Sam Heller, Fellow, The Century Foundation