Knowing What Not to Know About Islamic State: Terrorism Studies and Public Secrecy

This article identifies key differences between mainstream and Iraq-based understandings of Islamic State (ISIS) and how it rose to power in Iraq. The conventional wisdom in English-language discourses focuses on the group’s organizational capabilities, particularly its military capacity, ideology, propaganda, and governance/state-building apparatus. Iraqi discourses suggest that in addition to these capabilities, the state opponents of ISIS enabled the group’s growth because they benefited from its violence.