Brain drain is destroying the Islamic State from the inside out

By all appearances, ISIS is acting like a state: They have a government, territory, and even taxes. But when it comes to actually running their operation, the Islamic State is faltering — in large part because many of their professionals and experts have fled, The New York Times reports.

In one example, so many doctors escaped from ISIS-controlled territory that the group was left without adequate medical care. In some cases, loyal members of the organization are installed in positions they are not qualified for, such as a former construction worker taking over a role as the head of medical services in a town. The National Hospital in Raqqa is hardly functioning because there's no one left to work. Likewise, a restriction on male doctors treating female patients has left midwives to fill positions they don't have the training for.

The lack of schools has also angered residents. One valuable oil technician cited it as a reason he and his wife and three children eventually defected from the territory, paying a smuggler to help them reach Turkey.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"So many people are migrating," a Syrian teacher who escaped to Turkey said. "ISIS wants to build a new society, but they'll end up all alone."