ABSTRACT
The world is closer today than during any previous period in history. Multinational corporations, foreign military sales, alliances, economic ventures, illegal immigration, historical migration, international flight, the internet, social media and trade have expanded, and even erased historical borders. In the past 18 months, the Islamic State (IS) has vaulted onto the world stage, upset the hope for stability in the Middle East and now threatens to disrupt historical alliances around the globe. The information age has caused an overload of data to analyze and interpret; today’s abrupt political decisions, unsystematic and appear pursued without concern for the incidental and tertiary effects, or how the outcome will affect the intended target audience.
