Iraqi fighters enter the city of Qaim on Nov. 3 near a wall bearing an image of the Islamic State flag. The Islamic State has lost most of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria, but it is far from becoming merely a virtual organization.
Several people have asked me lately whether I thought the Islamic State will become a "virtual caliphate" now that it has lost most of the terrain it once held, including the strategic cities of Mosul and Raqqa . At the same time, I've talked with people who claim that the Islamic State has been destroyed. Both viewpoints have some truth to them, but neither is the whole truth. Both miss where the Islamic State is really headed. Charting the Islamic State When attempting to chart the trajectory of the Islamic State pole of the jihadist movement, it is important to recognize that the group is more of a movement than an organization.
