Quote:
Originally Posted by Griff
The localized extremists who should have slowly been extinguished by reality now have a larger platform for hate. .
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I think you've nailed the reason why this kind of extremism is so persistent. When you look at the various revolutionary, and pseudo revolutionary movements in modern history, they mostly fizzle out or crash and burn, with just a handful rumbling along at a very local level. Look at the left wing revolution-inspired terrorism of the 70s.
Revolutionary movements have generally had at their core the seeds of their on destruction - either they succeed and become the establishment against which others revolt, or the new tomorrow fails to materialise and the troops get bored, grow up, lose faith and move on.
The IS model is kind of ingenious. They've successfully utilised modern technology to make their impact global, and have agents in every country and to maintain a startling air of immediacy and relevance.
Compare their reach and impact to the communist extremists who also had a global agenda and the difference is frightening.