The advancing militias of the self-proclaimed Islamic State represent a new aspect of the terror that is threatening to spill over into Europe as Jihad, the Holy War, is exported. Yet how did this ominous development arise? Wilfried Buchta, an established expert on the Near East, traces the disastrous events in the region. He sheds light on the role of the most important players and power factors, and lays out the options that are still open to the West.