Ancient Assyrians would have understood IS’s methods

Islamic State’s barbaric boasting taps into a triumphalism that belongs to a time long past, says Dan Carlin

WHAT are the benefits of cruelty? This question occurred to me after forcing myself to watch some of the slickly produced propaganda videos of the group that calls itself the Islamic State (IS).

The now-infamous productions often show the cruel killing of helpless captives in the most horrifying ways imaginable. It’s hard not to wonder about the intent of the filmmakers. It’s also hard not to wonder who the target audience is.