The emergence of a dramatic new terrorist threat in Iraq and Syria, known as the Islamic State, has prompted a strong military and diplomatic response from the United States and the Obama Administration. This unique ebook encyclopedia documents all aspects of this vital issue with comprehensive and authoritative information from renowned experts and government sources. The Islamic State is variously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), and AQI. The group - headed by terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - is seizing substantial territory in Iraq as it attempts to fulfill its ambition of forming the first terrorist Islamic state. Terrorism experts are concerned that the group will pose a serious threat to American interests and security. On September 10, President Obama addressed the American public and announced what amounts to an ongoing war against ISIL. The efforts of the Department of Defense and State Department to implement the new policy is fully documented in this massive encyclopedia.There is also substantial information and commentary about the crisis in Syria, Iran's influence on Iraq, Turkish influence in the Levant, intelligence assessments, histories of the Iraq conflict and politics, and much more about this critical issue.Contents: Part 1: The War Against the Islamic State * White House Material * State Department Material * Department of Defense (DOD) Material * Department of Homeland Security Material * House Hearing Testimony * Senate Hearing Testimony * Part 2: 2014 Iraq in Crisis * The Resurgence of Al-Qaeda in Iraq * Terrorist Groups in Syria * Syria Hearing - U.S. Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations * Is Al-Qaeda Winning? Grading the Administration's Counterterrorism Policy * Al-Qaeda's Resurgence in Iraq: A Threat to U.S. Interests * Syria After Geneva: Next Steps for U.S. Policy * Syria Spillover: The Growing Threat Of Terrorism and Sectarianism in the Middle East * Al-Qaeda's Road to Damascus? Syria and the Abdullah Azzam Brigades * Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights * Combating the Haqqani Terrorist Network * Iranian Influence in Shi'a Groups of Iraq * How to Contain Iranian Influence in the Levant * Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response * The Resurgence of Al-Qaeda in Syria and Iraq * Building Peace in a Post-Assad Syria * The Syrian Crisis from a Neighbor's Perspective - View from Turkey * Iraq 2013 Human Rights Report * Lebanon: Background and U.S. Policy * Turkish Influence in the South Caucasus and Levant: The Consequences for NATO and the EU * 2014 Worldwide Threat Assessment Statement * 2013 Worldwide Threat Assessment Statement * Remarks at Hearing, 2013 * 2012 Worldwide Threat Assessment Statement