FRONTLINE presents "The Rise Of ISIS" — a major, in-depth investigation of the brutal jihadist

group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or “ISIS”. In the hourlong Frontline documentary, OPC
Board of Governors member Martin Smith, who wrote and produced the film on October 28, 2014,
traced the group’s evolution from a dwindling band of extremists in 2011 to the international movement
it has grown into today.

The story of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) started even before Prime Minister Nouri al
Maliki flew to Washington to mark the occasion. On the other hand, the graveness of its influence and
power to Iraq has burned the fire on with that meeting held with President Obama, where he stated
only with Iraq with flowery words such as self-governing, that is inclusive and that has enormous
potential. This statement resulted to such disappointments coming from the people and experts as the
U.S President haven't seen or just turned blinded on the real issue that is happening in the land of Iraq.

In "The Rise Of ISIS," Smith draws on in-depth interviews with Iraqi politicians, and American
policymakers and military leaders (including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey,
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta) to explore
and explain how ISIS developed into what one interviewee calls “the Al Qaeda that Osama bin Laden
only dreamed of building.”

The film begins as American troops pull out of Iraq in late 2011 and explores early signs of the
group’s rise and missteps that helped to inspire its members. The documentary covers key galvanizing
events like Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s purge of Sunni members from the Iraqi government, a
brutal crackdown on Sunni protesters across the country, and the simmering war that pit Sunnis against
President Bashar Hafez al-Assad in Syria. Along the way, Smith delivers a revelatory look at how ISIS
grew out and traces how they gained strength in Syria, how they're funded, how they operate, and how,
city by city, from Ramadi to Fallujah to Mosul, ISIS swept across Iraq — seizing territory, recording and
broadcasting mass executions, and drawing recruits from an estimated 80 countries.