For the Islamic State, Paroxysms of Violence Portend Apocalypse by Craig Whitlock and Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post
By claiming devastating attacks on French and Russian targets in recent days, the Islamic State has embraced what appears to be an irrational strategy: It has angered and provoked two military powers that had been reluctant to engage in an all-out war with the self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria…
Expanding the conflict may seem like a self-destructive move. But to some analysts, it is squarely in keeping with what the group advertises as its overriding, apocalyptic mission: to lure the world’s unbelievers into Syria for a final, Armageddon-like battle…