There are a number of important things about Da’esh that need to be studied and analyzed; some positive, some negative, and some that cannot be determined to be either good or bad until we can evaluate them over time.
The fact that Da’esh is 90-95% internally funded is a remarkable achievement.
As I have written before, this level of economic independence is impressive. I don’t know how sustainable it is, but nevertheless, it is an important accomplishment.
The seizure of land and the practical dissolution of the Iraq-Syria border is another significant element in their experiment.
What appears to be their use of traditional terrorist tactics to defend their territory is also an innovation that deserves to be studied.
We can learn from some of their recruitment strategies; and when I say that, I do not necessarily mean emulate their strategies, but rather we can learn what from these strategies are useful and what is not useful.
We can learn, for instance, what is the propaganda impact of their graphically violent videos of punishments.
Who do these videos appeal to, and who do they alienate? What sort of people do Da’esh recruitment techniques resonate with? And what impact do these kinds of people ultimately have on the viability of the group if they join it?
Does Da’esh manner of governance create deep loyalty among the populations under their control, or opportunistic loyalty?
Is knowledge spreading under their authority, or only indoctrination into Da’esh dogma?
We can learn many things by studying this remarkable experiment; and I believe that Al-Qaeda probably is studying it.
My impression of Al-Qaeda is that it is intellectually dynamic, creative, adaptable, self-scrutinizing, continuously developing, and extremely patient.
They are planting seeds in Syria while Da’esh is trying to plant fully grown trees.
I am not an advocate of any group, but this is my evaluation. As I have written before, I do not think Da’esh will last, but they have made a huge impact, and have given us all a lot to learn from.