The challenges of the Middle East

Dr. Akan Malaci

The crimes of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) group are abhorrent, and President Barack Obama is correct in labeling the group a “cancer.” But if the U.S. and its allies are to root out this or similar evils and prevent their recurrence, it is important to understand the genesis of the IS and what has facilitated its emergence. In an op-ed for The Greenville News, Furman political science professor Akan Malaci writes that “the larger lesson that can be drawn from the current turmoil is that as Americans we must think about disentangling ourselves from the pursuit of interests that have not and will not serve the American people.”