The main impression is that they are "worse than al-Qaeda," which is both misleading and also chillingly accurate. ISIS has primarily arisen as a local power, feeding off Sunni hatred for the Shia-led government of Nouri al-Maliki. But they are a new, purer form of radical jihad — more terrifying and more evil than any brand the recent past has seen. Nowhere is this clearer than in the truly infernal propaganda they have recently distributed online.
ISIS's latest film is called The Clanging of the Swords IV. While the title sounds harmless enough, the film itself is virtually indistinguishable from snuff. It's widely distributed on the Internet — ISIS operates a very slick PR machinery with an app and a social media strategy alongside films like this.
