What's In A Name? ISIS, ISIL, Islamic State Or Daesh

05:46

November 16, 2015

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a speech on the nuclear agreement with Iran at the National Constitution Center on September 2, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) announced her support for the Iran nuclear deal, becoming the 34th Democratic senator to back the president. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

After the Paris terrorist attacks, Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama joined French President Francois Holland in calling the Islamic State militant group "Daesh."

At a press conference today, President Obama returned to using the term "ISIL" (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), which is a variation of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).

Here & Now's Indira Lakshmanan talks with Abderrahim Foukara of Al Jazeera about these different names, their roots and the politics behind them.

Guest

Abderrahim Foukara, Washington bureau chief for Al Jazeera. He tweets @afoukara.

This segment aired on November 16, 2015.