My video briefing for The Washington Institute from mid-January 2015: "The Islamic State: A Video Introduction"

How did the so-called Islamic State (IS) originate? What are its goals? What is the scale of its recruitment in Europe and elsewhere?
As the United States leads a coalition to thwart military advances by IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh – Institute Richard Borow Fellow Aaron Zelin explains the jihadist group’s origins, objectives, and operations in this introductory video presentation.
Key topics covered include:

  • The Caliphate Project
  • Flow of Foreign Fighters
  • Recruitment Tactics
  • Sources of Funding
  • Split with al-Qaeda

Zelin’s presentation was filmed at a January 13, 2015 event sponsored by LINK, an Institute program for young professionals.
View the presentation slides
[slideshare id=44844958&doc=zelin201501theislamicstate-150218130131-conversion-gate02]