What is their game?

The gruesome video of the Jordanian pilot being burnt alive in a cage has been condemned as the most barbaric act, even by the standards of the Islamic State, or ISIS. It is not. The mass extermination of the entire populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by nuclear weapons, mass incineration of Vietnamese villagers by napalm and the blowing up of entire wedding parties by using drones, by the US, are much more heinous and barbaric. However, all the experts are puzzled by what their motive can be. Jordan is a Sunni country, as are the IS, the pilot was an Arab, as most IS fighters are, and Jordan was ready to free any number of terrorists for his life. It has emerged that the pilot was killed on 3 January after a failed rescue attempt, most likely by Jordanian special forces, while US planes bombed another part of town in a diversionary tactic. Some experts think that the IS is trying to frighten Arab people so that they will pressure their governments not to help the coalition. They have released the names, addresses and photographs of other Jordanian pilots and offered a reward of about $20,000 for each one killed. Other experts think that they are trying to create a division in the coalition. Maybe that is why they played with the 2 Japanese hostages. First they demanded $200 million, which is exactly the amount the Japanese government is spending in the fight against IS, to free both hostages and when that was not forthcoming they beheaded Haruna Yukawa. After that they demanded the release of a failed suicide bomber, a woman named Sajida al-Rishawi, who has been on death row in Jordan since 2005, for the release of Kenji Goto. The Japanese government must have begged Jordan for the exchange but Jordan could not agree unless they were sure their pilot was still alive. Goto was then beheaded. Jordan has executed Sajida and another terrorist, Zaid al Karbouli but the IS does not care. These were pawns in their game. Some believe that broadcasting these videos increases recruitment for the IS. The IS apparently asked for suggestions on how to execute the pilot and the brutality of what some suggested is beyond imagination. It is as if they play games to draw ordinary people to their way of thinking. Much as the Nazis did with ordinary Germans. And it maybe working. Just a few days after the attack on Charlie Hebdo apologists were making outrageous excuses for the killings. Anti-Semitism is increasing all over Europe, with 15,000 Jews thinking of fleeing to Israel from France. In Britain 25% of people believe that Jews " chase money more than others " and talk about the Holocaust to get sympathy. Maybe the IS just wants to enrage everyone so that there is chaos. That is how it can survive. So it plays games.