OPINIONOPINION, Was the rise of ISIL a surprise?The legacy of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime facilitated the success of ISIL in Iraq.
![The crisis in Iraq has logically escalated with the advent of ISIL from Syria and the forging of a strategic alliance with the main Sunni military group, writes Zafirov [AP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2014122593920943734_20.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
