fight for iraq. the problem really is not that iraq's army has collapsed. it's that iraq has collapsed. isis is at heart an insurgency against the governments of iraq and syria. and so insurgency can thrive without some support from the local population. isis gets that support from the discontent of sunnis in both countries who feel they're being persecuted by the shiite and alawite governments. a polling firm in iraq has conducted more than a million interviews in the country over the last decade. they point out that the vast majority of sunnis in iraq des pies isis. more than 90% of iraqis in sunni predominant areas regard it as a terrorist organization. but he writes, isis has been able to capitalize on the deep profound discontent sunnis felt with the central iraqi government. the sectarian partitioning of