Circumstances of the rise of the so-called Islamic State according to Patrick Cockburn’s perspective

The aim of this article is to analyze the rise of the so-called Islamic State in the perspective of a Middle Eastern and commentator for “The Independent”, Patrick Cockburn, who also publishes in the “London Review of Books. The text begins with a sketch of the geo-political determinants for the spread of the Islamic holy war, i.e. jihad. Then, it focuses on the disturbing phenomenon of sectarianism – directed mainly at the Shia branch of Islam – the attitudes of extremist Sunni preachers. The third chapter presents the complex combination of events that has contributed to the growth of extremist tendencies in Iraq. The subject of further deliberations is the conversion of the initially secular resistance to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria into a civil war, in which jihadists are the main opponents of the president.