Defeating Daesh: A Financial and Military Campaign
The Islamic State has considerable income, mostly from taking control of banks; managing trafficking networks – particularly hydrocarbons – and from external support.
However, its politico-military ambitions are expensive: it has to pay thousands of fighters and govern the territories under its control. In order to secure new revenue sources, it is seeking ways to get involved in new areas beyond Iraq and Syria.
Article published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 80, No. 2, Summer 2015