1. ISIS and the Destabilization of the Middle East

2. What is a Caliphate? Term used to describe and Islamic government, run by a Caliph, who is considered a descendent/successor of Muhammad Caliph also a leader of the entire Muslim community

3. Current State of Affairs: Syrian Civil War: March 2011 - present – 9.5 million displaced persons – Use of chemical weapons Sectarian violence in Iraq Ongoing demands for autonomy by Kurds ISIS/ISIL/IS – Roughly 30,000 fighters, over 10,000 are foreign jihadi fighters

4. IS Control and Support Areas

5. ISIS Control and Oil

6. US and Coalition Air Strikes

7. Sykes-Picot: 1916

8. “Lawrence of Arabia” Map

9. Kurdish Areas

10. Sectarian Violence in Iraq Shi’a majority, history of Sunni domination Saddam Hussein crushed Shi’a uprising in early 1990s Sectarian violence flared in 2006-2007 Mahdi Army Sons of Iraq Following US exit in 2011, Iraqi government purged Sunni leadership

11. Foreign Fighters in Syria

12. Border Control

13. Refugee Crisis

14. Major Players 1.Kurds 2.Turkey 3.Syria – Assad Regime 4.Syria – Opposition/Rebel Groups 5.Iraq – Sunni 6.Iraq – Shi’a