In a new brief, the sources for the strategic resilience of Daesh and its weaknesses over time are analysed, based on the thesis that the organization will continue to lose territorial control as a result of strategic mistakes.

Following its lightning offensive during the spring of 2014, Daesh has demonstrated strategic resilience, since initially it only lost limited territory, in spite of battles against militarily-capable and motivated enemies on several fronts simultaneously. Since the beginning of 2016, the terrorist group has been steadily weakened and is most likely going to lose a majority of the territory it controls in Iraq, and possibly Syria, as well.