Last August, full of piss, vinegar, and youthful enthusiasm, I wrote a piece in this publication entitled ‘Smash the Islamic State’, which argued for a cohesive and forceful response to the Islamic State’s so-called khilafah. Aside from my disappointment that the headline was never co-opted into a Coalition soundbite slogan, it seems, given we’ve passed the anniversary of the caliphate’s establishment, that the campaign has been an abject failure.