Machiavellians and ordinary youth in Syrian civil war (Andrea Glioti, Al Jazeera)

To counter the ideals of the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the long-run and to identify potential negotiation partners, it is necessary to rethink the mainstream understanding of Sunni violent extremism and highlight its human and pragmatic features. Religious ideology is not the only driving force behind militancy.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/02/machiavellians-ordinary-youth-syrian-civil-war-160210104313800.html