http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ivan-eland/what-makes-isis-tick_b_6392616.html

van Eland Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace & Liberty, The Independent Institute

What Makes ISIS Tick?

Posted: 12/29/2014

According to the New York Times, Maj. Gen. Michael K. Nagata, the commander of American Special Operations forces in the Middle East, is trying to figure out why the brutal Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is such a dynamic force in Iraq and Syria but has been flummoxed. The general's of band of graybeards couldn't seem to figure out what appeals to young radical Islamists who are migrating to ISIS's war in those two countries from around the world. The aim is to learn about the appeal of the group to counter it with American counter-propaganda.
The problem with this effort, like those of all of the other bunches of smart people convened by the U.S. government on Islamist terrorism, is that it can only go so far in criticizing its employer's polices toward the Islamic world. Since the government is at least theoretically in the employ of the public, the American people could demand a deeper analysis. However, since the 9/11 attacks, they have been hoodwinked by politicians and government officials into believing that radical Islamists attack U.S. targets essentially because inherently bad people hate inherently great people (if they had wondered at all, which the overwhelming majority haven't). This line of argument may have originated with George W. Bush's false claim that al Qaeda attacked the United States on 9/11 because of American freedoms--which Osama bin Laden vigorously denounced by asking why then he didn't attack Sweden.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ivan-eland/what-makes-isis-tick_b_6392616.html