Why has Raqqa been ignored?

It’s been five years since ISIL (ISIS) was defeated in Raqqa.

The city in northern Syria served as its base.

Yet many of the conditions that made Raqqa vulnerable to an ISIL takeover in 2013 still exist today.

Governance is weak, and attacks are common across the city.

People are living in ruins with limited electricity, water, and access to education and medical services.

Who’s responsible?

And how much of a threat is a resurgence of ISIL in its former capital?

Presenter: Emily Angwin

Guests:

Joshua Landis – director at the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma

Murat Yesiltas – director of foreign policy research at SETA, a think tank covering security and foreign policy issues

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi – editor of Castlereagh Associates and a specialist on ISIL