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Ignacio Zamora
Professor Collins
ENGL 1302
16 March 2016
Infamous
On December 16, 2015 Vox published a short documentary called The Rise of ISIS,
explained in 6 minutes examining ISISs beginnings. The film elaborates on the causes that
birthed the Islamic extremism that exists today. Vox also brings to light the specific groups and
individuals that would eventually evolve into ISIS. The documentary also provides some insight
into the conditions that set the stage for such radicalism to develop such as the American
invasion of Iraq and the Arab Spring. Precipitating, proximate, and remote causes from Voxs
The Rise of ISIS, explained in 6 minutes argues how ISIS emerged from religious extremism and
what conditions were met for the Islamic State to develop.
Vox contributes the invasion of Afghanistan as the precipitating cause that laid the
groundwork that was crucial to the development of ISIS. In the documentary the narrator asserts
how radical figures and groups emerged from the Soviet-Afghan war that would go on to found
the supporting elements that would evolve into ISIS. He explains how the Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan to protect the communistic government and as a consequence motivated young men
from around the Middle East to fight into what they perceived to be a holy war. The narrator also
describes the subsequent extremism brewing in Afghanistan, it sprouted and supported radicals
such as Osama Bin Laden and Abu Musab al Zarqawi (The Rise). The International Journal of
Interdisciplinary Social Sciences backs up the claims offered in the documentarys argument.
The Journal states how the Soviet Union sought to preserve the Socialistic government already in
place in Afghanistan by attacking with 120,000 military personnel (Keling 3). Consequently, the

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invasion caused local Afghan ethnic leaders to respond by uniting into a guerilla fighting force
called the Mujahedeen which translates into The Holy Warriors (3). The paper also
elaborates by what means the Mujahedeen would go on to support notable figures such as Bin
Laden who would found and lead al-Qaeda, which would eventually evolve into the pre-cursor to
ISIS. The films argument holds water because the war gave local factions a common enemy to
fight against and the opportunity to unify into a powerful militaristic organization which breaded
radical Islamic views. Furthermore, the extremism that pervaded throughout the war and beyond
provided a nurturing environment that made successful terrorist groups possible. The SovietAfghan war precipitated the change in the religious environment in the Middle East by
considerably fueling Islamic extremist ideology and provided a launching pad to the commonly
known terroristic organizations infamous today.
Another crucial puzzle piece on the road to the development of ISIS was the American
invasion and subsequent pullout of Iraq. The invasion created a proximate cause to the
environment that would foster and sustain an organization such as ISIS. The narrator presents his
evidence by exploring how the American invasion of Iraq and subsequent deposing of Saddam
Hussain set the stage for the emergence of ISIS. The disbanded government and army were of
majority Sunni, as a consequence thousands of ex Sunni soldiers joined the insurgency against
the American troops. The speaker also asserts how radical groups from around the Middle East
rushed in to battle America, as they saw this as a repeat of the Soviet-Afghan war. Abu alZarqawi is reintroduced as a Sunni terrorist leader that wages a Sunni-Shia civil war that would
further destabilize the region. The film subsequently explains how al-Zarqawis terrorist group
would in time merge with Al-Qaeda to form AQI (al-Qaeda in Iraq), one of the stepping stones
on the road to the formation of ISIS (The Rise). The documentarys claims line up with

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scholarly research. For example, Tomas Kavalek, political scientist from Masaryk University,
supports Voxs evidence by stating the majority of the deposed were largely made of Sunni and
Baathist figures. The ex-military cadre within these groups would seek out extremist groups to
join and lend their experience in an effort to transform the extremist element into a wellorganized military entity (13). Kavelek also highlights the role al-Zarqawi played in the first
stages of the creation of ISIS. Zarqawi would pledge allegiance to al-Qaeda and as a result,
transformed his group into AQI. The group would grow stronger due to the high numbers of
foreign fighters and local radical Islamists. Furthermore, despite Zarqawis death in 2006 by an
American missile strike, AQI managed to remain relatively strong and would rename itself ISI
(Islamic State in Iraq) in 2007 (8,9,11). By invading Iraq and removing the only governmental
organizational structure, America effectively wiped out the only element keeping sectarian
violence under a measure of control. The American invasion was almost certainly the immediate
cause of action that led to the destabilization of Iraq and the formation of radical organizations.
The final catalyst for the inauguration of ISIS was the after effects of the Arab Spring.
The Arab Spring was the remote cause that made the political and religious atmosphere ripe for
the success of the Islamic State. The films reporter reasoned that because of the many uprisings
during the Arab Spring, it made regions like Syria susceptible to religious extremism. The
documentary focuses on Bashar al Assad, the president of Syria, and his revolution. It argues that
the opposition were tinged with radical individuals and were flooded with jihadists prisoners
released by Assad to make the opposition to extreme to be supported by the West. These
developments would facilitate the empowerment of ISI to evolve into ISIS with its expansion
into Syria. Finally, the documentary pins the rapid expansion of the newly formed ISIS into
northern Iraq on the effects of the Arab Spring. The numbers of fighters gained in Syria and the

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fresh religious fanatical atmosphere made the militaristic push into Iraq possible for ISIS (The
Rise). Elfaith Salam, Professor in the department of political science of the University of
Malaysia, backs the conclusions made by the documentary in respect to the expansion of
extremist groups into Syria. Salam argues that not only is there rebel militias fighting Assad but
also Islamic State radicals consuming territory in various regions of Syria. Salam also asserts that
instead of bringing people of different ideologies together, the Arab Spring movement created
Islamist-secular divide (12). Voxs claims are further supported by Kavelek. He verifies the how
AQI influenced the Syrian opposition and expanded into Syrian territory. The groups leader alBaghdadi, would dispatch small batches of fighters into Syria that would form the extremist
rebel group called Jabhat an-Nusra. Jabhat an-Nusra would go to become the most prominent
radical opposition organization in Syria. (Kavelek p.15). Kavelek also asserts the man power
gained by the so called Soldier Harvest Campaign in which ISIS freed many radical prisoners
form Iraqs penitentiaries, gave the Islamic State enough soldiers to achieve success on the
battlefield (18). Overall, the argument made by the narrator is factual. The Arab Spring was the
underlying cause that would propel the Middle East into instability and as a result produce and
empower ISIS.
The films arguments overall do a respectable job on explaining the causes that
birthed and developed ISIS. It presents the effects and the causes on the environment to an
accurate degree. The facts and figures used are in line with experts assessments. There is little to
no deviation from the reality of the situations put forth in the documentary.

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Works Cited
Kavalek, Tomas. From al-Qaeda in Iraq to Islamic State: The Story of Insurgency in Iraq and
Syria in 2003-2015. Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations 14.1
(2015): 1-32. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Kavalek examines ISISs rise and explains the conditions that were accumulating into a
singularity of extremism. The journal entry goes into great detail to illustrate the
chronological events that took place to help the reader understand the causes that fueled
Islamic radicalism. He also presents all the insurgency stages ISIS went through to
explain their rise.

Kelling, Mohamad Faisol, Mohamad Nasir Saludin, Otto F. Von Feigenblatt, Mohd Naeim Ajis,
Md. Shukri Shuib. Taliban: How it Emerged and why U.S. and Pakistan Failed?
International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences 5.5 (2010): 163-178. Web. 16
Mar. 2016
The authors explain the reasons behind the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the effects
that ensued. The entry details how the Mujahedeen emerged and reports on the extremist
views that were present at its inception. They also track the Mujahedeen as they
transform themselves into the Taliban. The journal also argues how many prominent
radical figures, such as Osama Bin Laden, were influenced and gained traction within the
war. It finally reports on the various terroristic activities that ensued and how this would
ultimately cause the rise of ISIS.

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Salam, Elfaith A. The Arab spring: Its origins, evolutions and consequencesfour years on.
Intellectual Discourse 23.1 (2015): 119-139. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
A journal entry that discusses the causes and effects of the Arab Spring. It analyses the
environment that made the movement possible and the subsequent protest that ensued.
Salam tracks the geopolitical ramifications and internal conflicts that are present. The
entry also examines the media aspect in respect to the success of the Arab Spring.