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Off With Their Heads: The Islamic State and Civilian Beheadings

2015; University of St Andrews; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.15664/jtr.1157

2049-7040

Steven T. Zech, Zane Kelly,

Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts

This commentary evaluates the use of beheadings by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. We place beheadings in a broader historical context and draw from academic research in terrorism studies and the social sciences to explain why the Islamic State has adopted such brutal tactics. We outline the strategic logic of beheading and evaluate explanations related to symbolic politics, culture, and organizational dynamics. We conclude with a discussion about the future of Islamic State violence.