[lbo-talk] Why a Pro-Revolution Syrian schoolteacher now supports the Islamic State

[Marv Gandall]

Even the most backward and barbaric movements like the Islamic State rest on a base of popular support, and its supporters have not all taken leave of their senses, although these features are typically ignored in Western accounts of the group's success. The Syrian schoolteacher profiled in this article, like many of his compatriots, supports the IS, at least for now, because it has, ruthlessly or otherwise, offered stability, security, and basic services in the midst of the chaos and deprivation of a savage civil war.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/09/isis-support-syria_n_5792360.html