ISIS CALIPHATE. CHAPTER 2: AL QAEDA IN MESOPOTAMIA. The Fatal Decisions That Birthed ISIS

This podcast analyzes the evolution of the conflict in Iraq following the U.S. invasion of 2003, highlighting how the power vacuum and the dissolution of the national army fostered the emergence of a Sunni insurgency. The author examines the figure of Saddam Hussein, demystifying his supposed secularism by detailing his “Faith Campaign” and how this unintended religious radicalization prepared the ground for extremist groups. The rise of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, is explored; his strategy of extreme brutality and sectarian warfare sought to permanently fracture Iraqi society. The sources describe the ideological transition toward the creation of the Islamic State of Iraq, driven by figures such as Abu Ali al-Anbari, who integrated former Baathist military officers into the jihadist structure. Finally, the narrative addresses the phenomenon of the “Sunni Awakening” and General Petraeus’s intervention—factors that temporarily weakened the insurgents before instability in Syria reignited the conflict.