ISIS- Solutions??

Today in Human Geo we had to get into groups and think of possible solutions to ISIS, or ways we can stop them. Lauren and I are working together, and while we don't have it all put together yet to present it, we do have a lot of information, so here it is:

Who is ISIS?

• a group that began in 2004 as al Qaeda in Iraq, before rebranding as ISIS two years later. 
• It was an ally of -- and had similarities with -- Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda: both were radical anti-Western militant groups devoted to establishing an independent Islamic state in the region
• ISIS -- unlike al Qaeda, which disowned the group in early 2014 -- has proven to be more brutal and more effective at controlling territory it has seized. 
• Is in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Islamist militant group that has seized a chunk of land stretching from northern Syria to central Iraq (referred to as Islamic State by many) 


ISIS Agenda?

• (ISIS) have begun destroying 2000 year old Syrian statues in the ancient city of Palmyra and are claiming to have rigged the ancient ruins with explosives 
• They destroyed several sites across Iraq, includes the destruction and looting of Mosel Museum, the destruction of the 3000 year old Assyrian city of Nimrud and the bulldozing of the 2000 year old fortress city of Hatra. 
• "They don't care what it's called, they are just following their ideology and that means getting rid of churches and minorities," said MEMRI Exec. Director Steven Stalinsky. "It is the Islamic State, and there's no room for anyone else. "This has been going on for some time, a systematic campaign to rid the region of any vestiges of Christianity." 
• They terrorize everyone including many Islamists and Muslims that don’t follow what they do. 
Many members have posted to social media what they are doing, for example: ISIS members in the heart of Iraq's once-thriving Assyrian Christian community of Nineveh, destroying symbols the Islamist terror group considers polytheistic and idolatrous. The images show the men removing crosses from atop churches and replacing them with the black ISIS banner, destroying crosses at other locations such as atop doorways and gravestones, and destroying icons and statues inside and outside churches
• They are moving out from Syria and Iraq and are finding more places to terrorize
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Ways to Try and Stop ISIS? 

• increase size of US force 
• use bombs or increase the power of the airstrikes 
• work with Syria and Iraq (specifically the Free Syrian Army, we can try and make allies) 
• get as many refugees over here or somewhere else, so we can try and isolate ISIS 
• try and topple their power structure by attacking their leaders or structure of "government" (how many other groups have collapsed) 
• get everyone to agree on something (either with the refugees, get everyone to see that we can’t just sit back and do nothing)

Specific Groups in Danger 

• The Yazidis 
• Iraqi Christians
• Shiites