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In July 2014, the Muslim cleric Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi addressed his followers as 'caliph', leader of a Muslim nation and successor to the Prophet Mohammed. It was the first time in almost a century that any significant figure in the Islamic world had claimed this ancient title, and it was a dramatic illustration that there was a powerful and terrifying new force in play: the radical Sunni Islamist militant group which calls itself Islamic State. Edward Stourton and guests trace the rapid rise, fall and legacy of the group.

Guests:
Fawaz Gerges, Professor of Middle East Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics
Patrick Cockburn, journalist and author of 'The Rise of Islamic State; ISIS and the new Sunni revolution'

Researcher: Louise Byrne
Producer: Ben Crighton.