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With an established territorial presence, the Islamic State stood up to Western Powers for three years. Heir to a chaotic element of Middle Eastern history, Daesh was able to develop an alternative political model, based on a deep knowledge of local social and cultural dynamics. Moreover, the organisation has demonstrated a real ability to plan and conduct at an operational and tactical levels, by adapting and combining hybrid – regular and irregular – modes of action. France and Europe cannot afford to avoid long term considerations on this phenomenon.