The Islamist strategy of provocation

Submitted by Neville Barnes (United Kingdom), Sep 6, 2014 at 19:16

Much Islamist behaviour, including the atrocities of IS, strikes me as designed to provoke the West into military action.

I would argue that any such military reaction supports the "narrative", the doctrine that the West has secretly declared war on Islam. For the Islamists, whether they win or lose the particular military engagement, they always win in terms of propaganda.

Their ideal, the ultimate goal of their provocation, would be an open declaration of war with Islam. This would confirm the "narrative" and force 1.6 billion Muslims to side with the Islamists, finally giving Islamism a fighting chance against the West.

So the West must tread carefully. It is far better, as Dr Pipes has observed, if "local actors" deal with IS rather than Westerners.

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