Das politische System des Islamischen Staates

Since the Islamic State (IS) has secured control of large parts of the Iraqi and Syrian territory, scientists and pundits have discussed its raise and character. This article asks how the regime of the IS in Iraq and Syria can be typologically categorized. Is IS an organization? Is the IS regime a state? And is the IS regime a totalitarian dictatorship? In answering these questions the article considers the current state of knowledge about the IS’s organization, ideology, and regime. In doing so it becomes evident that IS is a “bureaucratic organization” which was quite successful in establishing a state-like political system, and that displayed the characteristics of ideocratic and totalitarian dictatorship, both in its ideological claim and – albeit to a lesser extent – the actual empirical patterns of its governance. The article concludes with consideration of possible dilemmas of IS and scenarios of its future development, both as a state in Iraq and Syria and as an organization.