Abstract:
What are the theoretical perspectives on ways of confronting ISIS? Which of them can be the basis of Iran’s strategy towards this group? The inhumane and violent behaviors of ISIS, the so-called Islamic State or Daesh, have made people of many countries in the region and around the world shocked and full of hatred to the extent that societies and politicians of different countries, including Iran, have explicitly opposed it. Thus far, the issue of confronting the ISIS threats has been undertaken more practically. Using a theoretical context, the author of this article holds that Iran can effectively fight against ISIS by relying on a strategic approach which may be performed by concentrating on strategic Islam or civilization-making aspect of Islam (manifested in an Islamic Awakening), and its cooperation with a Western strategic layer (forming an international coalition). It is also necessary for this kind of confrontation to be comprehensive enough to include all other approaches within itself and to be operationalized.
Machine summary:
Using a theoretical context, the author of this article holds that Iran can effectively fight against ISIS by relying on a strategic approach which may be performed by concentrating on strategic Islam or civilization-making aspect of Islam (manifested in an Islamic Awakening), and its cooperation with a Western strategic layer (forming an international coalition).
In other words, by studying different approaches, this article intends to identify and explain the agreed-upon theoretical basis for codifying an effective strategy against ISIS by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
By studying all approaches and reasons for fighting against ISIS in the framework of strategic and ideological layers of cooperation between Islamic countries and the West, we obtain implications in five related fields for fighting ISIS.
These implications are considered here to clarify the meaning of the strategic confrontation approach as a basis for an effective strategy in general, and particularly the strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran against ISIS.
Strategic approach Political approach Identity approach Religious approach Historical approach Counteractin g ISIS 64 Historical implications When it comes to Islamic movements in general and how to fight against ISIS in particular, one should consider two main streams from a historical point of view.
org/policy-analysis/view/the-war-between-isis-and-al-qaeda-for- supremacy-of-the-global-jihadist; Katherine Zimmerman, "Competing Jihad: The Islamic State and al Qaeda," American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, 2014, Available at: http://www.
5. For further information see "Perspective of Islamic World’s Sunni Political Figures on ISIS Excommunicating Group," Fars News Agency (in Persian), 2015, Available at: http://www.