The West’s War Against Islamic State: Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq

Description

On the 29th of June 2014 ISIS declared the establishment of a caliphate stretching across territories in Iraq and Syria. In response, Operation Inherent Resolve, a US-led 77 nation coalition, was launched to respond to the threat of Islamic State. The West’s War Against Islamic State offers the first history of Operation Inherent Resolve and the West’s war against ISIS, from its inception in 2014 to the fall of Raqqa in 2017. Andrew Mumford offers a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the military campaign deployed against ISIS in Syria and Iraq by examining the West’s strategic objectives as well as the conflicting interests of rival powers, namely Russia, Iran and Turkey. By examining individual operational components of this military engagement such as drone usage, cyber warfare, special forces operations and sponsorship of guerrilla forces, this book offers a unique insight into the nature of modern warfare. Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Epigraph Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Structure of the book 1 The Rise of ISIS and the Creation of the Coalition The invasion of Iraq, the Syrian civil war, and the rise of ISIS Understanding ISIS The creation of the Global Coalition Conclusion 2 America’s War – From ‘Degrade and Destroy’ to the ‘Defeat’ of ISIS The battle to ‘degrade and destroy’ ISIS under Barack Obama Donald Trump and the ‘defeat’ of ISIS Conclusion 3 The Proxy Wars For and Against ISIS The rise of ISIS and proxy opportunities The proxy war against Bashar al-Assad The proxy war against ISIS The dangers of proxy war-waging against ISIS Conclusion 4 On the Ground and in the Air – Assessing the Special Forces Operations, Local Force Training Missions, and Aerial Campaign Against ISIS Special Operations Forces in the war against ISIS The train, advise, and assist mission The air war against ISIS 5 Fighting ISIS by Other Means – The Cyber and Finance War The cyber war against ISIS The finance war against ISIS 6 The Alternative War: Russia, Iran, and Turkey Against ISIS Russia’s war in Syria: more pro-Assad than anti-ISIS Iran’s war: Soleimani and the ‘road to the sea’ Turkey’s complicated war Conclusion Conclusion Operation Inherent Resolve and the Future of ISIS The dangers of the ‘defeat’ discourse and the implications of COVID-19 The death of al-Baghdadi and the future of ISIS Assessing the performance of the Global Coalition and Operation Inherent Resolve Notes Bibliography Index