Hot News: Who is James Foley? Why did ISIS kill him?

17 things about ISIS and Iraq you need to know

19 Cards

CURATED BY Zack Beauchamp

2014-08-20 14:15:40 -0400

ISIS used to be al-Qaeda in Iraq ISIS wants to establish a caliphate The conflict betweeen Iraqi Sunnis and Shias sustains ISIS Iraq's Prime Minister is making the ISIS problem worse ISIS has a really important base in Syria ISIS funds itself through oil and an extortion racket The global oil market has been spooked by ISIS' advance The conflict has been a boon to Iraq's Kurds - but that might be changing ISIS isn't the only anti-government rebel group ISIS has made significant territorial gains in Iraq The Iraqi army is much stronger than ISIS, but it's also kind of a mess Iran is fighting on the Iraqi government's side The US and Iran have talked about Iraq The US is launching air strikes against ISIS Some Americans blame Obama for this Iraq's Sunnis and minorities will probably suffer the most ISIS captured and executed James Foley, an American journalist This video explains the crisis in 3 minutes How have these cards been updated?

Card 1 of 19 ISIS used to be al-Qaeda in Iraq

Card 2 of 19 ISIS wants to establish a caliphate

Card 3 of 19 The conflict betweeen Iraqi Sunnis and Shias sustains ISIS

Card 4 of 19 Iraq's Prime Minister is making the ISIS problem worse

Card 5 of 19 ISIS has a really important base in Syria

Card 6 of 19 ISIS funds itself through oil and an extortion racket

Card 7 of 19 The global oil market has been spooked by ISIS' advance

Card 8 of 19 The conflict has been a boon to Iraq's Kurds - but that might be changing

Card 9 of 19 ISIS isn't the only anti-government rebel group

Card 10 of 19 ISIS has made significant territorial gains in Iraq

Card 11 of 19 The Iraqi army is much stronger than ISIS, but it's also kind of a mess

Card 12 of 19 Iran is fighting on the Iraqi government's side

Card 13 of 19 The US and Iran have talked about Iraq

Card 14 of 19 The US is launching air strikes against ISIS

Card 15 of 19 Some Americans blame Obama for this

Card 16 of 19 Iraq's Sunnis and minorities will probably suffer the most

Card 17 of 19 ISIS captured and executed James Foley, an American journalist

James Foley was an American conflict reporter who went missing in Syria almost two years ago. On Tuesday, August 19th, a video of Foley surfaced. The video, apparently produced by ISIS as a warning to the US to stop air strikes against the group in Iraq, ended with Foley's death.

Foley first went missing in November 2012. He was last seen alive in Aleppo, Syria, where he was covering the Syrian civil war. It wasn't clear where he had gone or who had taken him. At that point in the conflict, ISIS had not yet formed. Nor was this the first time Foley was kidnapped: he had also been abducted in 2011 while covering the Libyan civil war.

For a long time, Foley's location was unknown. In May 2013, his family and friends believed they had tracked him to a Syrian government jail. The video of his death isn't clear on location. Titled 'A Message to #America (from the #IslamicState),' the video depicts a British-accented ISIS militant forcing Foley to condemn America before beheading him. Afterwards, ISIS displays a man they claim is another missing American journalist, Steven Sotloff. They threaten to kill him if the US doesn't stop bombing ISIS in Iraq.

Foley's execution and the alleged kidnapping of Sotloff will not end the American air campaign. Longstanding US policy has been to not give in to ransom demands, in part because it creates an incentive for groups like ISIS to kidnap Americans. Statistical research on international terrorism and kidnapping backs up that theory.

The big question after Foley's killing, then, is whether or not the US will escalate air strikes or other action against ISIS in response. On August 20th, President Obama gave a speech condemning the group, but the administration is still figuring out its response.

Card 18 of 19 This video explains the crisis in 3 minutes

Card 19 of 19 How have these cards been updated?

Post By http://www.vox.com/cards/things-about-isis-you-need-to-know/james-foley-isis