In the media
April 07, 2017
On 6 April 2017, ICCT Research Fellow J.M. Berger was cited in the Belgian newspaper De Morgen with regards to so-called Islamic State (IS)'s waning appeal.
Mr. Berger states that, given IS is rapidly losing ground in Raqqa (Syria) and Mosul (Iraq), the once utopian picture of an unbreakable Islamic State is no longer prevalent, and that the attractiveness of the caliphate has drastically decreased. This is largely reflected in IS' inability to recruit at the levels it was able to in the summer of 2015. Currently, IS posts three-quarters less on social media compared to 2015-highs, and IS propaganda accounts are increasingly being shut down by social media companies, making recruitment harder for the the group.
Read the article (Dutch).
