The Final Solution: No Previous Experience Necessary

"ISIS Names New Leader and Confirms al-Baghdadi’s Death," NYT, 10/31/19) One can only imagine the resumes that must have come in for the position. Just think of the ad that was probably place on the ISIS equivalent of Breitbart. “Seek leader of caliphate. No previous experience necessary.” That’s not to say that some familiarity with social media wouldn’t be of help. According to The Times piece the new leader, emir or caliph is not currently known. “Nobody—and I mean nobody outside a likely very small circle within ISIS—have any idea who their new leader Abu Ibrahim al-hashemi al-Qurayshi' is,” The Times quote Paul Cruickshank, editor of the CTC Sentinel at the Combating Terrorism Center, as Tweeting. “The group has not yet released any meaningful biographical details which might allow analysts to pinpoint his identity.” Could it be Bill Pillsbury aka Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi'? Would it be safe to surmise that such a position would have been a great draw to any recent Harvard, Columbia or Stamford Business School graduate and that with a quick wardrobe change many would have been lining up to fill the empty slot left by the death of al-Baghdadi? Running a caliphate is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that actually makes other high profile positions look sick. Facebook for instance is a kind of caliphate, though it has more power than ISIS ever did. The opportunity to rebrand a caliphate (and even for instance issue an ISIS credit card) would be too tempting to any entrepreneur trying to make make their mark at this intersection of advertising and politics.