&gt;&gt;  for opportunities to sow chaos because they believe it will tip the scales eventually toward a Caliphate.<p>From what I&#x27;ve been told and read, they&#x27;ve already established a Caliphate. The primary driver of having a Caliphate is that ISIS must control territory, without controlling territory, there is no Caliphate - correct?<p>This was one of the best explanations I&#x27;ve read about why ISIS is doing what it is doing:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2015&#x2F;03&#x2F;what-isis-really-wants&#x2F;384980&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2015&#x2F;03&#x2F;what-isi...</a><p><i>If it loses its grip on its territory in Syria and Iraq, it will cease to be a caliphate. Caliphates cannot exist as underground movements, because territorial authority is a requirement: take away its command of territory, and all those oaths of allegiance are no longer binding.</i>