Tearful refugees landing on European shores. Terror in Paris, San Bernardino, Beirut, Istanbul and Jakarta. Gruesome calls to action and videos of beheadings in Iraq and Syria.
From its financing and recruitment to the catastrophic human rights consequences of its reign of terror, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has commanded global media attention since the “caliphate” was established in June 2014.
But according to four experts who spoke at Duke Wednesday about the growing security and refugee crisis, the fearful rhetoric of the U.S. presidential election and right-wing European politicians misrepresents the political forces that shaped the terror group and leaves little room for a solution.
Professors Omid Safi, Suzanne Shanahan, David Schanzer and David Siegel took part in the discussion, which was moderated by political science professor Abdeslam Maghraoui. The forum, held at the Sanford School of Public Policy, was co-sponsored by the Duke Middle East Studies Center and Campaign Stop 2016.