(10. August 2014) There can be no overstating how perilous the situation is. The terrorist blitzkrieg of the Islamic State has swept from Syria into Iraq, with its goal of conquering and controlling a large swath of the world. While some of its more distant aspirations may be beyond its grasp, Iraq and other parts of the Middle East and Central Asia are not.

The slaughter and destruction in Syria and parts of Iraq are the unvarnished template of what can be expected in any part of the world where they will rule.