What are the legal foundations of the Islamic State? (Dana Hadra, Brookings)

Media coverage of the Islamic State has focused on the group’s grotesque use of violence and archaic governance style. Less attention has been paid, however, to the institutions that make those practices possible—institutions that lend the group legitimacy, at least in the eyes of supporters, as a sovereign state. In her new Brookings Analysis Paper, “The legal foundations of the Islamic State,” Mara Revkin argues that legal institutions play a critical role in the Islamic State’s state-building project. Those structures help the group take and keep territory, as well as provide a measure of accountability to the people living under its rule.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/07/26-legal-foundations-isis-hadra

A how-to on countering violent extremism (Dana Hadra, Brookings)

With rise of groups like ISIS and al-Qaida, efforts to counter the appeal of violent extremism have assumed high priority on agendas across the world. Over the last several months, Brookings has hosted several events focused on countering violent extremism (CVE), which have underscored the complexity and diversity of approaches to CVE.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/03/21-countering-violent-extremism-events-hadra