The Islamic State: A New Wave of Terrorism?

This thesis explores the Islamic State, known as ISIS, with the aim of determining whether ISIS ascribes to the existing waves and frameworks of terrorism, or whether its pursuit of statehood and governance constitutes an evolving or uniquely new wave. The work of David Rapoport is consulted to examine the established first four waves of terrorism and their relation to ISIS. The fifth wave framework proposed by Jeffrey Kaplan is also explored in terms of its application to ISIS. The Islamic State’s ideology of jihad, or jihadology, as well as its campaign of nation-building, testify to the evolution and transformation of this organisation from pre-existing theories and waves of terrorism to justifying a new wave on its own