Since its emergence, the Islamic State militant group has continued to evolve and improvise in ways that have left analysts at a loss to predict its next move. While most have compared it to such groups as Boko Haram, al-Qaida and even the Taliban, the most apt comparison would be to the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah.
The Islamic State is very quickly proving themselves to be an extreme Wahhabi version of Hezbollah. Wahhabism is a very strict and extremist sect of Sunni Islam. The most recent kidnapping and demand of ransom for two Japanese hostages has raised questions about how the Islamic State is funding its activities. This, in turn, poses the more important question of what drives the group.
