Islamic soul-searching on scorched earth: ISIL launches a new brand of Islamism, which requires a uniform coalition to be defeated

The strength of ISIL (Da’ish) has been assured by its adversaries’ weakness. The movement can also bank on support from several regional players, who have now, paradoxically, joined the anti-ISIL coalition. Any effective strategy to defeat the jihadis must be based on a shared goal and sequenced to ensure long-term success.