World View: ISIS Threats to Kingdom of Jordan May Require US and Israeli Troops

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• ISIS makes laughable ‘Caliphate’ claim
• Threats to Kingdom of Jordan may require US and Israeli troops
• Pentagon announces additional 300 troop deployment to Iraq
• What do we call ISIS now?
• Israel threatens revenge for deaths of three kidnapped teenagers

ISIS makes laughable ‘Caliphate’ claim

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) announced that it’schanging its name to just “Islamic State,” is declaring the territoryit controls in Syria and Iraq to be a “Caliphate,” and is demandingallegiance from all Muslims worldwide to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, thehead of ISIS.

The demand that all Muslims worldwide pledge allegiance toal-Baghdadi is laughable. He won’t even get allegiance from manypeople in ISIS itself, such as the former officers in Saddam’sBaathist army who are currently in ISIS only because they want tofight against the regime of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

In fact, ISIS’s demand for allegiance from all Muslims worldwide islikely to infuriate jihadists in al-Qaeda-linked groups and mayencourage fights among jihadist groups. In Syria, the terrorists inthe Islamic Front or Jabhat al-Nusra (“Victory Battlefront”) willalmost certainly not be willing to pledge allegiance.

Whether ISIS’s “Islamic State” will last more than a few weeks ormonths remains to be seen. ISIS claims that the border between Syriaand Iraq, which was set up by evil Westerners following World War I,has now been erased forever. However, that border has survivedgenerational crisis wars in both Syria and Iraq in the 1980s, so theboundary is probably more solid than analysts expect.

None of this is to underestimate the danger from ISIS, particularlybecause ISIS has captured billions of dollars’ worth of Americanweapons including tanks, humvees, trucks, rockets, artillery pieces,rifles, ammunition, helicopters, and other heavy weaponry fromstorehouses in Mosul that were supposedly being guarded by the Iraqiarmy. ISIS is already quickly making good use of those weapons notonly in Iraq but also in Syria. AP and LA Times

Threats to Kingdom of Jordan may require US and Israeli troops

Officials in the Kingdom of Jordan fear that with the new weaponsstash and bank account of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),and with their success in Iraq and Syria, that Jordan will be theirnext target. Jordanian officials estimate that there are some 2,000Jordanian jihadists who are already members of ISIS or anotherterrorist group. In southern Jordan, in the town of Maan, Bedouinjihadists are demonstrating in favor of ISIS. Jordan’s securityforces have ringed the town.

However, not all extremists in Jordan are pleased with the prospect ofan invasion by ISIS. A leader of Jordan’s Salafi movement is quotedas saying:

We warned those who are aligned with the IslamicState not to go out and rally or to take any action in Jordan, asit is outside their religiously sanctioned mission and would handa gift to Jordanian authorities trying to depict us as terrorists… Unfortunately, these are kids who know very little about theirown religion, about jihad, and are not willing to answer or listento anybody.

If the Bedouin jihadists combine with ISIS, it would bring an Islamistrevolt to King Abdullah and an Islamist army right to the door ofIsrael. The Jordanian army may be stretched too thin to cope with allthe threats, and the 12,000 US soldiers and USAF F-16 fighter squadronalready in Jordan may get involved. Israeli forces may get involvedas well. Ammon Newsand Economist and Debka

Pentagon announces additional 300 troop deployment to Iraq

On Monday, June 16, President Obama notified Congress that about 275 U.S. military personnel weredeploying to Iraq to provide support and security for U.S. personneland the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. On Thursday, June 20, President Obama announced that 300additional military advisers would be sent to Iraq. Since then, the USS Bataan, with 1000 marines, wasthe seventh warship to head for the Persian Gulf.

Now on Monday, the Pentagon announced that an additional300 troops are being sent to Iraq. According to theannouncement:

Capabilities provided include a detachment ofhelicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, which will bolsterairfield and travel route security. Similar to the U.S. securitypersonnel who arrived in Baghdad earlier this month to providesupport and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy inBaghdad, they will integrate with existing U.S. embassy securityteams.

According to CNN, the purpose of the new deployment is toprotect the Baghdad airport, which must be protected from ISISat all costs.

This brings to 800 the total number of US troops in Iraq, almost threetimes as many as in President Obama’s original announcement on June16. Department of Defense and CNN

What do we call ISIS now?

The naming of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has alwaysbeen somewhat chaotic. Some media call it ISIL, others ISIS. Somecall it Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the Levant or al-Sham.Months ago, I tried to finesse the problem by referring to “TheIslamic State in Iraq and Syria/Sham/theLevant (ISIS or ISIL),”which was kind of a cute and ironic way of covering all the bases. Ifinally gave that up in the main articles, because it was too clunky,though in the keywords section at the end, I still use something like

So now we have a new name, “Islamic State,” adding to the chaos. So Ican finesse this in the keywords section with: “Islamic State / inIraq and Syria/Sham/the Levant, IS, ISIS, ISIL.” That should covereverything for now. What should I do in the article text? Maybestick with ISIS for a while, and see what other people do.

There’s one more name that you’ll sometimes see in the press: DAESH,which is the Arabic form of ISIL, meaning that it’s the initials ofthe Arabic words for Islamic State in Syria and al-Sham.

Israel threatens revenge for deaths of three kidnapped teenagers

Three Israeli teenagers who were abducted on June 10 were found dead on Monday, in a pit in theWest Bank. They had been the subject of an extensive manhuntthroughout the West Bank, during which hundreds of Palestinians,mostly members of Hamas, were arrested. Israel’s prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the three were “kidnapped andmurdered in cold blood by animals” and promised: “Hamas will pay.”Hamas is threatening retaliation for any attempt to punish Hamas.BBCand Jerusalem Post

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