Terrorism is one of the most problematic security threats in today’s world, which is characterized by multipolarity, complexity, and social polarization. The most widespread form of terrorism at present is Islamist terrorism, a type of religious terrorism that twists the dogmas and beliefs of Islam to justify its own violent acts. As one of the most important Salafi-jihadist terrorist groups, Islamic State has left its mark on the field of terrorism studies due to its survival despite predictions that it would lose its raison d’être with the destruction of its proto-state formation, the caliphate. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to analyse the structure of the Islamic State before and after the fall of the caliphate, examine individual parts of the structure, and explain why, despite apparent defeat, the Islamic State has survived and continues to pose a security threat. The analysis of the subject matter in two different time periods will be based on the use of the descriptive and comparative methods. The author concludes that, through a clever combination of the characteristics of terrorist organizations and networks, the Islamic State has created an extremely resilient and adaptable structure which, despite numerous counter-terrorism measures, has enabled the terrorist group to continue operating, maintained its cohesion despite its increasing geographical spread, and ensured the survival of the remnants of its proto-state formation.
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