Illicit economic activities of irregular warfare groups: A case study of the Islamic state (is) and the response of the international community

This study is about the illicit economic activities (especially oil smuggling) of the Islamic State (IS) and the response of the international community (UNSC, national governments, and nonstate actors) from 2014 until 2021. The context of the study is the ongoing Syrian civil war and the IS Caliphate, in Syria and Iraq. Through Critical Terrorism Studies (CTS) as a critical approach to terrorism studies the study investigates the contribution of oil smuggling to the military strength of the IS. The study evaluates the effectuality of the force-based counterterrorism strategies deployed by the international community against the IS. Ultimately, the study develops a CTS-oriented approach to understanding how actions can be taken to counteract similar global terror threats in the future. The IS is a global Salafi Islamic irregular warfare group that originates from the Middle East. In June 2014, the IS proclaimed a Caliphate (Islamic state) in the Middle East, only for it to be dismantled by the US-led coalition forces and local Kurdish forces in 2019. The study applies qualitative documentary research. It utilises both primary and secondary sources. The research findings reveal that oil smuggling was a significant source of income for the IS only for a short period of time (early 2014 till late 2015). However, few other economic activities of the IS were consistent in generating income throughout. Furthermore, no evidence suggests that illicit oil trade profits of the IS were used to strengthen the military capacity of the organization. Instead, data revealed that the IS relied heavily on military weapons seized from its opponents on the battlefield including weapons from the US that were meant for the local Kurdish forces. The findings further reveal that while military force (mainly airstrikes) by the international community significantly reduced IS’s oil production and smuggling activities, they at the same time also exacerbated social challenges such as the refugee crisis, damage to infrastructure and loss of innocent civilian lives.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, History and Political Studies , 202