Insight: Nov 11

This week Insight is hosted by Anton Enus as guests discuss whether IS can be stopped militarily or not.

A French journalist who was held hostage by IS for 10 months has told SBS Insight that IS is a product of Western society.

“They are very much products of our society,” Nicolas Henin said. “This is what is strange… They are perfect products of our countries – they watch the same movies that we are watching, they are playing the same video games that our kids are playing.”

Henin was held captive alongside U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, who were later beheaded by IS. He believes the Islamic State’s Western influence has been key to its success in recruiting followers.

“This is the reason why their recruitment works so well. It is because, when you look at the propaganda, they are using the very same codes that the kids of our suburbs are using and talking. They speak our language – they come from us.”

Henin joins experts and those who have personally witnessed IS’s influence in Iraq and Syria to discuss whether IS can be stopped militarily, and what the future holds for the countries, on tonight’s episode of Insight at 8.30pm.

Guests include:

Nicolas Henin
Nicolas was captured by IS in Syria in June 2013. He was released alongside three other French journalists in April 2014. He says IS can be defeated with a more inclusive and democratic government.

Ali Al Musawi
Ali fled Iraq at age two with his family. He has several cousins, a brother and sister living in Southern Iraq. He says IS is portrayed as revolutionary in some parts of Iraq and it will be hard to shake the ideology.

Ahmed Omar
Ahmed left Iraq during Saddam’s regime after the execution of two of his cousins. He says IS can be defeated but the current army is not strong and that Iraq needs help.

Jim Molan
Former Major General Jim Molan was the Chief of Operations for Allied Forces in Iraq, in 2004 and 2005. He believes military force can restore stability to Iraq but only the Iraqi government is capable of re-establishing the trust of the Iraqi forces.

Tobias Feakin
Tobias is National Security Analyst at ASPI. He says IS can be defeated via removing their financial sources, destroying the power of their propaganda and retaking oil fields and land. He thinks it cannot be done with air power alone.

Amin Saikal
Amin is Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at ANU. He says even if IS is pushed back by military force, it is unlikely there will be long-term stability in the region. He believes that the ideology needs to be defeated and stability in the region may take two or three generations.

Tuesday 11 November at 8.30pm on SBS ONE.