If all Muslims are either Sunni or Shia - which, of course, is a simplification - then Salafists belong to the Sunnis, which was implicit in the interesting article. Interesting exactly because of its attempt at an analytic overview of the complex situation that would fit onto a one-page long PowerPoint presenentation which for many is more helpful than a book-lengh treatise that most of us would not have time or interest to read, even though it MIGHT better describe the workings of IS.

I think we'd have a better chance of first digging a hole in beach-side sand, then emptying the entire ocean into it, than fathom the workings of the mad minds that simply want to kill anyone who just doesn't conform to their stone age belief system.
Nowhere in any of this belief system is as much as a single provable fact; least of all, an all knowing all seeing all powerful God speaking to all of them through just one or two of them; or madness personified!
And were there no Christians, Jews, atheists, homosexuals or Gypsies to blame or kill; this group would surely turn on each other, given the real motive behind all of it, is madmen's whim, caprice and or, blood lust!
Just look at the examples of their activities coming to light; crucifixions, ritual beheading, people stoned or beaten to death, heads on poles and women and children sold into slavery as literal sex slaves; if only to recognize this inherent madness for what it is!
And only organised inasmuch as the inmates would organize the asylum, or extremely secure prison!
If people want this Muslim murderous monstrosity, maybe would should stand back and just let them duke it out.
And when reduced to a few toothless blind old men, and a few weeping widows, take pity and just nuke what is left out of existence!
They would do no less for all of us in the non Islam world, if only they could!
Rhrosty.

Dear Plantagenet,

You raise some interesting points which I would like to make comment on.

Regarding Point 1, that the first and second pillars overlap. The article states that the three pillars are interconnected but separate. Yes there is much that is interconnected and overlapping, but there is also much that is not. For example, three groups that have allied themselves to the Islamic State are the Kurdish Ansar al Islam, the Indonesian Jemaah Islmiyah, and the Chechen Army of the Emigrants and Helpers. None of these groups are culturally Arab, hence 3 separate pillars.

Point 2. The first pillar, although complex and large is not a monolith. It is because it is diverse and in practice incredibly complex, that makes it so difficult to defeat. If it were monolithic it would have a single centre of gravity that conventional military forces could easily defeat.

Point 3. Regarding the terrorist attacks reportedly conducted by ISIL supporters in Lebanon and Turkey. Attacks in Lebanon include bombings in Beirut on and around 25 June 2014, and terrorist recruitment, caching and border attacks in Turkey. With regard to IS beginning in Syria, I think you will find that IS personnel, including their commander, came out of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). ISIL grew out of the Islamic State in Iraq, which in turn came from the commonly named Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). AQI was started by al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian with the assistance of Ansar al Islam and Al Qaeda’s Osama bin Laden.

Point 4.
You are quite correct when you identify that the three pillar model doesn’t specifically identify the religious differences between Sunni and Shiite Islam. Salafit views follow the earliest texts of Islam. Therefore, they are inherently Sunni in nature. Given the imposed length of articles allowed for publication, detailed explanations are not possible.

Point 5. I am not sure what Iraqi oil has to do with the stated opinion piece.

PS. I am very sure this piece has not come from, or been made into, a Power Point presentation

Hi Anshin

I see that above is your very first OLO comment. I therefore consider myself fortunate that you have taken time out of your consultant interests to chat.

I try to put IS and the fate of Sunnis in a social and economic context rather than just targets of a counter-insurgency machine. Targets to be eliminated by the odd alliance of the US-UK-Australia and Iran presiding over a reluctant piece of Iraqi real estate.

Cheers

Pete

Radical Islam has been used by our elite criminals to remove our rights and divide our communities. ISIl was created by the West to fight Assad in Syria. Al Qaeda is another Western creation.

This is all about their fascist New World Order.

Middle East unrest is linked to lack of employment and income, a situation that is driving chronic poverty and hardship.

Hardship is known to drive people into groups and lawless gangs.
ME youth are bored and restless, irritated.
There is jealousy of American wealth and good times.

Economists should be talking about new productivity and new employment instead of wasting time on CO2 tax pricing trading schemes causing inflation that is destroying business and employment and economies.

The bottom of the economy is expanding instead of shrinking.
Times are getting tougher instead of better.

If every able person was employed and had equivelent of US.$100 a day take home pay and affordable food and reasonable comfort, there would be no present unrest and war.

I think the enemy is actually world economic downturn.