Abstract:
The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a non- state actor, is explained
through realism although realism does not have much to say about non- state actors
and their terrorist acts. The rise of ISIS and its violent acts in the Middle East and
some Western countries triggered the response of the international community via
power rivals: the United States and Russia to the rise of ISIS. Despite the fact that
both super powers aim at defeating ISIS, the United States and other Western
powers continue to perceive Russia as contributing to international instability
whether in its actions in Ukraine or in Syria. This super power rivalry undermines
the struggle against ISIS. The thesis concludes that cooperation between the US and
Russia over global issues such as over the Ukrainian Crisis is a postulate in order to
achieve a transitional government in Syria. Realism as a broad school of thought and
its variants is used as a guide to explain the rise of ISIS and the United States and
foreign policies toward the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
