In a room full of shouting, an important sound has been drowned out by the noise.
The room is our global community, and the shouting and chaos is the current situation in the Middle East. Some screams pertain to the threat of ISIS, others the European Refugee Crisis and the remaining are a combination of U.S. foreign policy and human rights violations. The important sound is money: funding, finances, wealth and sustainability. Many of the issues in the Middle East can be traced to the terrorist group ISIS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The group’s crusade across Syria has led to conflicts between the government and rebel groups. Bombings, mass murders and destruction have been the result of the war against ISIS, and civilians are fleeing the borders and finding refuge in Europe. The rise to power of ISIS is simple — the group has money. And lots of it. That is how they have funded their operations within the Middle East, and that is how they continue to recruit foreign fighters to join their devastating regime.
When ISIS began to dominate Syria and overtake cities, the group snatched the northern borders of Syria and Iraq. These areas are rich in oil resources, and ISIS took full advantage. The group smuggled oil into southern Turkey, where oil prices are extremely inflated, and made millions from the stolen fossil fuels. A year ago CNN published a report stating ISIS makes between $1 and $2 million in oil sales per day. Though the lower end is a better estimate, $1 million in illegal oil sales (per day!) is still an immense amount of money.
The Islamic State has also made a fortune from their expansion in Iraq and Syria. Robbing banks, stealing weapons and selling the dominated population into sex trafficking have all contributed to the billion-dollar industry that is terrorism. Through infiltration of top members of ISIS, Iraqi police officers were able confiscate 160 flash drives with endless information on the terrorist group, including financial records. According to The Guardian, the total cash and assets of the Islamic State was $875 million. After invading Mosul, Iraq, the group’s funds skyrocketed to over $2 billion.
And so the tyranny continues, mostly because opposing forces are not providing sufficient resistance. The United States has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on the Islamic State, most of which have been in the northern borders of Iraq and Iran, as stated in The Guardian. These attacks were supposed to destroy the oil resources ISIS has utilized and reduce the group’s profit, but the Islamic State continues to spread across the Middle East. Actually, the group’s message has inspired people across the entire world, leading to foreign recruits and increased numbers of ISIS members. According to figures in The New York Times, the group attracts 1,000 foreign fighters every single month. The Pentagon claims airstrikes have eliminated 10,000 ISIS members, but that is clearly not enough to neutralize the flow of international soldiers. With the current rate of growth, the U.S. needs to do much more than airstrikes.
The Islamic State was formed during the fall of al-Qaeda, which was a result of American troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If history were to repeat itself, fighting ISIS using American military resources would only create more hostility toward Westerners and provoke more extremist groups and more conflict. The Islamic State is seemingly immune to airstrikes and continues to increase, so this method is also ineffective. In order to stop ISIS, their financial support must be cut. Without money, the group has less appeal to foreigners, fewer military resources and decreased chances of spreading into other countries.
If more individuals like the Iraqi commanders who seized ISIS computer drives were opposing the group, the world might actually be able to defeat the terrorist forces. But Iraqi government officials have done little to hinder the success of ISIS and have allowed immense criminal activity by the group within Iraq borders. The Islamic State has implemented tolls on roads, taxes on businesses and charges for banks that are not condoned by the government in order to increase profits. Additionally, Syrian and Iraqi governments have done little to protect the Yazidi women — members of the Christian minority and targets of ISIS sex trafficking and rape. Tightening law enforcement in these countries would decrease funds of the Islamic State and reduce the terror they have inflicted on the people of Iraq and Iran.
The international community can help as well. The U.S. program to train soldiers in the region was a noble effort, but it fell flat and wasted millions of dollars. With the energies of several countries, a qualified army of citizens could help combat the corruption and funding of ISIS. Having a militant force of natives would help ease the backlash against Western countries once ISIS has been eradicated and protect against the formulation of yet another extremist group. The U.S. and the rest of the world have experience fighting terrorism, yet we cannot seem to find a solution. Or maybe we have not been trying hard enough.