ISIS, HERITAGE, AND THE SPECTACLES OF DESTRUCTION IN THE GLOBAL MEDIA

In a recent article posted on al-Monitor, Massoud Hamed pointed out that in its recent activities, the Islamic State (ISIS) is implementing a scorched-earth policy in north-central Syria, in the region of Kobane and Tell Abyad, located west of the Euphrates and adjacent to the Turkish border. The area mainly comprises agro-pastoral communities with largely a Kurdish majority (Hamed 2015). The Islamic State militants are reported to have emptied and demolished towns in this region, and are now targeting the countryside: the Islamic State has been burning agricultural fields to devastate the landscapes of livelihood and the sources of subsistence for these communities. Scorched-earth is a harsh, deeply historical military policy that aims to annihilate entire landscapes of livelihood and to deny basic human right to live for local communities even after the battle is over.