ISIS: The Rise of an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria

In June, the terrorist group known as ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) grabbed news headlines around the globe by capturing large swaths of northern Iraq. ISIS, which already controls significant parts of Syria, subsequently slaughtered of thousands of innocent Iraqis, highlighting the frightening prospect of the further spread of its radical ideology throughout the region.

On Monday, September 8th, two well-known analysts of Islamic radicalism, Jeffrey Goldberg, the Middle East commentator who serves as national correspondent for The Atlantic and columnist for Bloomberg View, and Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, discussed the unfolding turmoil in Iraq and Syria, the broader threat posed by the rise of ISIS, and its aim to re-establish the caliphate.

Goldberg, winner of the National Magazine Award for Reporting, and Haqqani, author of the critically acclaimed Magnificent Delusions: Pakistan, the United States and an Epic History of Misunderstanding, examined the emergence of this al Qaeda offshoot and analyzed the threat it poses to the Middle East, Israel, and the West. In an off-the-record conversation, the distinguished speakers explored the troubling rise of ISIS and offered their insight for the best strategy to combat this well-financed and well-equipped terror organization.