Mythbusting the Islamic State
Dr. Craig Whiteside

November 29, 2017

The Islamic State (IS or ISIL) movement has been in existence for over a decade in its various forms. During this period, and certainly more recently, authors and filmmakers have produced an increasing number of blogs, papers, journal articles, books, and documentaries about a very complex and intriguing group that has pushed the boundaries of innovation in a variety of areas for an armed group. This talk presents some of the popular arguments about the group and identifies a series of misconceptions about it, in order to gain a better understanding of this threat to global security in the near future.

Dr. Craig Whiteside is an Associate Professor at the Naval War College Monterey, California where he teaches national security affairs to military officers as part of their professional military education. He is a senior associate with the Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and a fellow at the International Centre for Counter-terrorism – The Hague. Whiteside’s current research focuses on the doctrinal influences on the leadership of the so-called Islamic State movement and its evolving strategies. He has a PhD in Political Science from Washington State University and is a former U.S. Army officer with combat experience.