THE RISE OF ISIS AND US POLICY RESPONSES: AN ANALYSIS

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating the reasons behind the rise of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the US policy responses. In this study, a review of reliable sources of information was done, which was based on different factors that were found to be the reasons behind the rise of ISIS. The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 disturbed the sectarian stings of the country that gave birth to Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), the same organization resisted western occupation, which later took the another shape in the form of ISIS in 2014. The other reasons which include the imprisonment and emancipation of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, presence of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and the withdrawal of US from Iraq without ensuring good governance. The US withdrawl from Iraq in December 2011 have created a security vaccum that resulted in strengthening the militants. Furthermore the closure of Bucca Camp resulted in the release of militants, who joined the hand of ISIS. Soon after Nouri Al-Maliki became the Prime Minister of Iraq, the Baathists were still loyal to the previous Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein and were unhappy with the changes in the country. Al Maliki‘s regime was also responsible for the rise of ISIS because he gave more room to sectarinism. US devised several policy responses to counter the threat of ISIS. These policy responses are seen in the form of international strategy to defeat the ISIS, US strategy to battle the Islamic State (IS) during President Obama Administration in 2015, countering violent extremism and counter-IS and ISIS Organization and Planning as of Mid-2016. It is recommended that the future research should be continued in order make more comprehensive analysis of the reasons for ISIS emergence and policy responses by the US for countering it.