THE SHIITE JIHAD IN SYRIA AND ITS REGIONAL EFFECTS

56 n THE SHIITE JIHAD IN SYRIA
during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. 302 With the June 2014 ISIS advance, it
would appear that many of these nefarious activities, including human rights
abuses, are being continued in earnest. 303
With these developments in mind, the rise of Shiite militias in Syria and
Iraq, and their sponsorship by Iran, must be considered in reorienting a U.S.
policy to address the entire complicated region. Some realistic, as well as easily
integrated and promoted, steps to counter Shiite militias’ influence include
the following:
• refocused analyses. Iranian proxy organizations should not be
viewed as atomized entities. Instead, they should be recognized as subnetworks
of a broader IRGC–Qods Force network and part and parcel of a
larger regional strategy. This is especially the case for AAH and the Badr
Organization. Both have direct links to new and established Shiite armed
groups, including designated terrorist organizations such as Kataib Hezbollah.
Mapping and potentially classifying these organizations will require
creative methods to account for their sharing of members, equipment, ideological
goals, and command structures. In particular, if new organizations
or front groups are ever designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations,
their overlapping nature must be addressed. Assessments of these organizations,
the threats they pose to U.S. and regional security, and their activities
should be intrinsically linked in any future U.S. negotiations with Iran
and regional allies.
• interdiction of online recruitment. By focusing on high-tech
platforms, the United States can potentially disrupt the continuing
Internet recruitment techniques run by designated terrorist groups and
unregistered militias. The urgency of such an effort is underlined by the
high likelihood of additional Western citizens being either recruited by
militias or used for fundraising purposes. Denying militias freedom of
operation in the social media space could be a cost-effective and productive
step toward reducing their general clout. Since social media recruitment
is now being expanded to attract fighters throughout the Middle
East, South Asia, and the West, the United States must work closely with
international partners to counter and monitor these efforts.
• counternarratives. As the United States steps up efforts against
ISIS, it should be simultaneously concerned about the proliferation of
official and semiofficial narratives being cast by Shiite militias. Many