Defeat ISIS in the Three Battlegrounds of Its Birth

Continuing analyses by political scientists and pollsters within the Arab world, who intimately understand the workings of our fractured societies and whom I respect highly, suggest that active popular support or even just acquiescent understanding for Islamic State (Daesh) among Arab populations ranges from five to 20 percent of populations in different countries. In other words, of the 400 million or so Arabs today somewhere between 20 and 80 million people support or understand Islamic State (Daesh) and its ways. The actual number of hard core supporters, financiers, admirers, members, and logistical facilitators of Islamic State (Daesh) in the Arab world is probably no more than a few hundred thousand — but the pool of prospective adherents or sympathizers must realistically number in the millions.