On Friday, October 3, 2014, the Islamic State (IS) released three English video releases and a set of photos within hours and posted it all posted on Twitter. These four releases raise a question, though: Why did IS release so much material in one day addressed to the West.
There is no doubt that IS is, once again, attempting to deliver a message to the West: You can't beat us. We are strong despite your war against us.

 

In the last two days, Washington, along with various media outlets, have been reporting on the "Khurasan Group," a shadowy terrorist cell in Syria in its later stages of an attack plot against an unspecified Western target(s). It seemed to come out of nowhere; America, in launching what has been specifically branded as a war on the Islamic State (IS), claims a victorious aerial attack against a group no one has ever heard of.

The truth, however, is that virtually everyone around the world has heard about this group, more likely by its other name: al-Qaeda (AQ).

The Islamic State’s (IS) September 13 release of the video “A Message to the Allies of America,” showing the execution of British aid worker David Haines, marks the group’s first official release on Twitter since it began migrating between a series of alternative social media outlets two months ago.

Douglas McAuthur McCain, the American Islamic State (IS) fighter recently killed in Syria, is yet another story of an American turning to jihad in recent years. Meanwhile, officials indicated that the number of Americans who left to fight in Syria has doubled since January 2014, and while Washington and other Western countries continue to “discuss” plans on how to counter domestic, al-Qaeda (AQ) and the Islamic State (IS) have successfully brought the jihadist movement into Western homes more effectively than ever before.

The Islamic State's (IS) released video showing the beheading of American photojournalist James Foley has a straight-forward purpose from an analytical standpoint: intimidation. The brutality demonstrated in the video says, "Don't mess with us." Simple. Beyond the surface level, however, there is an equally alarming element to this video: recruitment to jihad.