October 7, 2014 | The Washington Post

What’s So New About the Islamic State’s Governance?

Although the militant group’s speed may have been surprising, its ability to hold territory and act like a “state” is hardly unusual. Recently on the Monkey Cage, Aaron Zelin noted that the Islamic State’s social service provision is hardly unique among jihadist groups, and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Amichai Magen described the challenges of governance that jihadist groups face (but the Islamic State may be particularly adept at working with civilians, despite access to natural resources, as Ariel Ahram wrote). Yet, jihadist groups are by no means the first or only set of groups to provide social services and face the challenge of rebel governance.

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