All Policy Analysis by Aaron Y. Zelin

A terrorism expert assesses how Washington and its partners can best counter—and in some cases engage—jihadist actors in Afghanistan and the Sahel amid growing limitations on U.S. influence in such locales.

Although the former jihadist standard-bearer has failed to inspire attacks during the Gaza war, its efforts to exploit rising anti-Israel sentiment and train a new generation of terrorists in Afghanistan should not be taken lightly.

Three experts discuss the findings of a new Washington Institute compilation on jihadist governance, highlighting several of the case studies and data points explored in the book.

The group has sought to build legitimacy and prepare for a postwar role in Gaza by engaging with various countries since October, but the death of Ismail Haniyeh will complicate those efforts.

In this chapter from the Jihadist Governance and Statecraft compilation, Aaron Y. Zelin explores how Afghanistan's one-time insurgents are making greater use of key instruments of state.

Although the recent focus on ISKP plots emanating from Afghanistan is understandable, other IS “provinces” have been accelerating and coordinating their external operations as well.

Although the mosque shooting was unprecedented in Oman, it fits with the terrorist group’s long practice of massacring Shia Muslims in the Gulf and beyond.

Tracking and accurately assessing the shifts in the group’s activities and command structure over the past five years is crucial to containing the evolved threat.

In this anthology, contributors discuss the policy challenges associated with an emerging phenomenon, but disabuse readers of any notion that jihadist governance and statecraft should be equated with political moderation.

Most Lebanese Sunnis have resisted the MB’s mobilization so far, but this sentiment could shift quickly due to pressures from the Gaza war, the economic crisis, the local political vacuum, and the inroads being made by Hamas and Hezbollah.

The possibility of more terrorist attacks from Afghanistan, foreign fighter mobilizations in Africa, and dangerous ripple effects from U.S. military reshuffles in Iraq and Syria are among the many revealing data points and trends uncovered by this landmark interactive tool.

Local branches now control territory in Mali, Somalia, and Mozambique, setting the stage for new foreign fighter mobilizations, resource extraction opportunities, and perhaps even external operations against the West.

The latest attack will hopefully be an aberration in Ankara’s otherwise strong record of disrupting terrorist plots at home, though policymakers should not be lulled into complacency given the group’s proven record of evading elimination.

A study on who joins extremist and terrorist movements and why, offering new quantitative methods to approach the problem.

A data-driven look at how research into terrorism and extremism is often hindered by tech companies with ill-suited content filters.

At least forty-four nations have condemned Hamas and decried its tactics as terrorism, but regional players such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, and Iraq have pinned responsibility on Israel.

Scholars will explore past and current attempts to establish Islamist governance by groups across broad swaths of the globe, from North Africa to the Indonesian archipelago. This event, originally scheduled for October 10, 2023, has been postponed.

Three experts discuss how the Islamic State branch’s capacity to operate globally has evolved in troubling fashion since the coalition withdrawal.

While finding ways to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of French forces, Washington and its allies must not forget that counterterrorism and great power competition with Russia are inextricably linked in these conflict zones.

The offensive occurred amid a deteriorating security situation across the Sahel that will require creative U.S. responses.