All Policy Analysis by Aaron Y. Zelin

The latest rebel success, while significant in battlefield terms, has empowered extremist forces and further highlighted Washington's insufficient support for Syria's mainstream opposition.

In the wake of the Arab uprisings, radicalized individuals from previous periods and conflicts have returned to the stage.

The Obama administration slapped a terrorist designation on a jihadist rebel faction in Syria, but only managed to spark an anti-American backlash among the opposition.

Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate began as an offshoot of the same Iraqi branch with which it has now merged. How did Jabhat al-Nusra rise to prominence within the Syrian rebellion?

Outside Hamas's control, jihadi groups in Gaza and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula may cause the greatest threat to stability in the region.

Jihadist groups do not buy into the democratic process and are attempting to consolidate Islamic rule in their countries one charitable act at a time.

Online forums offer a great deal of information about the small but growing jihadist role in the Syrian conflict.

The emptying of prisons in countries affected by the Arab Spring has often been a good thing but, unfortunately, jihadists have also been part of this wave of releases.