ISIS

Introduction:

ISIS is a terrorist group led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It began as the Iraqi chapter of Al Qaeda. But the two groups always had disagreements, and ISIS broke away in 2014. Now ISIS and Al Qaeda compete for influence and recruits.

In 2011, a civil war broke out in Syria in response to efforts to overthrow dictator Bashar al-Assad. ISIS quickly took advantage of the chaos. The group now controls a vast territory in Syria and Iraq. They’ve become one of the largest, most successful, and most violent groups operating in Syria and Iraq. They execute prisoners of war, enslave minorities.

ISIS funds itself by selling oil, extracting taxes, and extortion. Until recently, ISIS has focused on consolidating and expanding its territory. But it seems to be shifting its focus to attacks outside Iraq and Syria.

ISIS is good for Global Economy:

Overview of Turkey(1):

Reports that Turkey has almost doubled its exports to Syria after ISIS stepped up its control of border crossings has focused attention once more on the relationship between Turkey and ISIS gangs.
‘Co-operation’ between ISIS and Turkey led to a 99% increase in Turkish exports to Syria in the month of August, with the country jumping 10 places to 33rd most important export market.

While in the first 8 months of last year(2014)Turkish exports to Syria totalled $574 million, this year that figure rose to $903 million.

Since the town of Azaz near the Kilis border passed under the control of ISIS exports have risen 79%, while sales of vehicles and spare parts which ISIS could use in warfare have shown an increase of 303%.

ISIS selling petrol to Turkey

It is alleged that a significant proportion of the around 60 thousand barrels of oil produced in the oil fields controlled by ISIS in Iraq and Syria is sold to buyers in Turkey.
It is said trucks carrying oil enter Turkey, taking crude oil to refineries.
The volume of daily oil sales between ISIS and Turkey is reported to be in millions of dollars.

ISIS maintains itself through trade with Globally

All ISIS gang members receive salaries. These salaries total around $100 million a year. When logistic costs are factored in, it is evident the organisation possesses a huge economy. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the most significant economic props of ISIS. Money sent from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to ISIS goes to the organisation via Turkey into Syria.The organisation’s largest source of revenue is the profit it gains as a result of its commercial relations with Turkey.

Overview of UNITED STATES:

U.S. Strategy in the Region impact of ISIS (2)

President Obama has famously said “It is time we take some of the money that we spent on wars, use half of it to pay down our debt and then use the rest of it to do some nation-building right here at home.” Strategically speaking, the administration has made it clear that its priorities lay elsewhere. The much discussed, though little executed, “pivot to Asia” was one of the more compelling elements in recent American foreign policy. The pivot idea is based on the insight that East Asia is emerging as the demographic and economic center of the world and therefore should be the focal point of a more limited American foreign policy.

The US Economy(3)

While views of the state of the conflict with ISIS worsen, views of the economy - which showed improvement in last month's CBS News Poll -- continue to be positive. Now, 54 percent say the economy is in good shape, with 45 percent rating it as bad.

Thirty-eight percent say the economy is improving, and another 42 percent say it is staying the same. Just 19 percent say it is getting worse. These figures are similar to last month.

The poll finds positive assessments of two specific economic segments. Six in ten Americans say the stock market is in good shape, 26 percent think it is getting better, and 51 percent say it is staying the same. Among those who have investments in the stock market (about half of Americans), 72 percent think the stock market is in good shape, and 33 percent think it is improving.Views are similarly positive about the local housing market; 64 percent say it is good.

References:

1.http://www.kurdishinfo.com/isis-good-business-turkey
2.http://www.internationalpolicydigest.org/2014/08/26/isis-actually-good-u-s-strategy-region/
3.http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-americans-are-feeling-about-the-fight-against-isis-economy/