Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in the registry office Ibrahim al-Samarrai, Self-proclaimed Caliph of the Islamic State, could be consecrated by TIME magazine as the most important figure of the year.
It is only a proposal that flashed between the editors of the authoritative magazine, but in the next issue (which will be released on December 9), usually dedicated to the most important figure of the year, we will know the truth.
This means that the public enemy number one of the United Nations could be the man (or person) of the year for TIME. It should be noted that the cover of TIME is not to be considered as a prize, but is an acknowledgment of the actions, for better or for worse, that has made a subject X. Just think, for example, that even Adolf Hitler and Stalin were " Man of the Year ”. So then, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi could really deserve the cover of one of the most authoritative weekly magazines in the world.
For the Caliph it would be the peak of his career as a murderer, but it is undeniable that Samarrai has already written pages of history for having killed thousands of civilians under his reign of terror. Perhaps no one like him in the 2015 has changed the course of events. If that were the case, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi would outperform other candidates like Vladimir Putin (for his intervention in Syria) and Angela Merkel (for his openness to refugees).
The efforts of Ibrahim al-Samarrai to bring war to the world are more significant than the peace process of John Kerry, the American secretary of state who reached the nuclear agreement with Iran in July. The delinquent, who in a few weeks in the summer of 2014 has conquered thousands of square miles in Iraq and Syria, could "deserve" the cover of "Man of the Year" for TIME.
The problem, if anything, is another: Western recognition for its brutalities, could be used for internal propaganda purposes and sanction the world-wide consecration of the Caliph in the eyes of its followers. It could be a risk that TIME editors should keep in mind.
