M.I.C.E.

M.I.C.E is an acronym used by the intelligence community for the terms Money, Ideology, Coercion, and Ego.  It is usually used to describe how spies are recruited, but it can also describe how terrorists, gang members, and even businesses recruit people.  I may have talked about this M.I.C.E. before, but I will talk about it again due to its importance and application.

It is important to know why people are joining things like ISIS/ISIL.  In this instance most people will hear from politicians that it is due to the M in M.I.C.E., Money.  Sure, it is an excellent recruiting tool as many in the Middle East, Africa, and central Asia are generally impoverished compared to us Americans and Europeans.  However, they are not primarily joining for that.  People do not just die for money, especially young men and women who are willing to blow themselves up (this includes educated doctors in England, Military psychologists in Texas and college Students in Boston).  Instead it is the I in M.I.C.E., the ideology.  This Islam fascism existing within Islam, especially ISIS/ISIL, wants to cause as much havoc as possible to usher in the end of days.  They want world war three because they believe that it will summon the great Imam, and Jesus, who will force all to convert to Islam or they will die.  ISIS/ISIL wants an Islamic State that obeys Islamic law, or at least their own version of it that enslaves women, and makes all none Muslims lives worth nothing.  Additionally, they will try to use the C in M.I.C.E. to convert Christians to Islam, and Muslims who do not believe in the cause.  The C stands for Coercion, and in the case of converting peaceful Muslims and Christians they take everything they own to pressure them and then threaten their lives to either convert or die.  E for ego is also used, but this is used to reinforce the ideology of the ISIS members to say how great they are and flatter them into thinking that they are divine soldiers.  In doing this, it prevents people questioning the ideology and the leadership as they are basically receiving positive reinforcement for murdering others.

Final Thought:  I keep wondering why we are not doing more to counter the ideology, by presenting the ideology of other Muslims who preach peace and cooperation.  It makes no sense to me save that the ISIS/ISIL being politically and militarily useful.  The United States does not like Assad, and the current government of Syria, they do not like Hezbollah in Lebanon, and they need a proxy war with Russia who is allied with Syria.  It makes too much sense and is a repeat of the cold war (assuming that it actually ended, and we haven't just changed enemies instead).  Any case it is important to know and understand what is going on and I hope this helped.