Editorial Note: The full article can be found in CAScade Magazine written by Matt Cooper.

Angela Joya, new assistant professor of international studies, knows that the reality on the ground in Syria is much more complicated than is typically portrayed in US newspapers. And that reality helps explain how some segments of the population look for solutions from the extremist group ISIS, or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Joya’s recent appointment represented a two-for-one victory for the international studies department. She is an expert on the Middle East as well as a political economist, both areas in which the department wanted growth.

Of late, Joya has concentrated on Egypt and Syria, countries in stark contrast when it comes to political upheaval and reform.