The Islamic state goes global

Recent terrorist attacks suggest that the Islamic State has both the intent and capacity to strike its enemies outside Iraq and Syria. It may have been developing this capability for more than a year. But while the Islamic State may encourage acts of terrorism and even facilitate them, it is still primarily focused on state building. Nonetheless, with limited opportunity to increase the territory it controls, and being forced to retreat in some areas, the Islamic State's leaders may see advantage in increasing their encouragement of overseas terrorism, even to the point of directing attacks, in order to demonstrate that the group continues to 'endure and expand,' as its motto holds.
The terrorist assault on Paris on November 13, together with the coordinated suicide attacks in Beirut the previous day and the mid-air explosion that brought down a Russian airliner over [...]