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A view of the Memorial In Light display and the Manhattan skyline, beyond the Statue of Liberty - source: Reuters

25 Years After 9/11

The Looming Terrorist Threats to America

Faced with brain drain, ideological distortion, and a wavering strategic focus, U.S. counterterrorism officials are being asked to do more with less today than their predecessors post-9/11.

Sep 8, 2026

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Matthew Levitt

Photo showing fighters from the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab.

The Fate of Global Jihadism Today: Internally Resilient, Strategically Deprioritized

Although America’s defensive and preventive mechanisms are much stronger today, the global jihadist situation in 2026 is uncomfortably similar to the 1990s, when the movement was treated as a manageable nuisance even as it quietly consolidated sanctuaries, built financial autonomy, and experimented with new methods of attack.

September 2026

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Aaron Y. Zelin

The U.S. Cannot Arrest Its Way out of Violent Extremism

Without credible threat assessments, judges and prison wardens are left to rely on their individual perceptions, while worrying what their decisions will mean for public safety.

Jul 2, 2017

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Maxine Rich

Video

Lone Wolf: Passing Fad or Terror Threat of the Future?

Watch an international panel of experts discuss the alarming increase in so-called lone wolf terrorism.

Aug 7, 2017

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Boaz Ganor
Bruce Hoffman
Marlene Mazel
Matthew Levitt

Lethal Beliefs: Ideology and the Lethality of Terrorist Organizations

A quantitative examination of how the apocalyptic mindset of certain jihadist groups makes them more prone to conducting mass-casualty suicide attacks.

Oct 15, 2021

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Ido Levy

3 Things I'm Watching: 25 Years After 9/11

Former counterterrorism official and 9/11 Commission staffer Michael Jacobson, the Institute's Levy Senior Fellow, takes stock of U.S. efforts to combat terrorism 25 years after the September 11 attacks.

Explore Institute analysis of counterterrorism issues.

Counterterrorism Lectures

A memorial to victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlet mall near Dallas, Texas - source: Reuters

Video

Navigating the Dynamic Homeland Threat Landscape

A senior U.S. official discusses the current threat landscape, the role of counterterrorism in the broader national security space, and the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to prevent violent extremism.

May 18, 2023

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Nicholas Rasmussen

Video

Counterterrorism in an Era of Competing Priorities: Ten Key Considerations

In this in-depth briefing, a leading CT official discusses how to address diverse challenges ranging from border security and document forgery to online radicalization and far-right copycat attacks.

Nov 12, 2019

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Russell Travers

Multimedia

Taking Stock of U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts Since 9/11

The director of strategic operational planning at the National Counterterrorism Center discusses the general state of U.S. CT efforts, the persistence of the threat, and the need to focus on nonkinetic prevention methods.

Jul 10, 2018

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Michael Nagata

Webcast Today: NCTC Directors Assess Progress and Remaining Challenges 25 Years After 9/11

Watch a conversation with three former directors of the National Counterterrorism Center as they look back on a quarter century of combating the global terrorist threat.

Learn more about this event.

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Interactive Maps

Screen shot of the Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region interactive map

Maritime Attacks in the MENA Region (Since 2017)

Shed light on the actions of actors such as Iran and Yemen's Houthis that have threatened and attacked commercial shipping in the waters off the Middle East and North Africa.

Screenshot of the Hezbollah External Operations Interactive Map

Lebanese Hezbollah Select Worldwide Activity

Access this interactive map to explore an open-source database of Hezbollah global operations and break through the terrorist organization's "Golden Rule" of secrecy.

Screenshot of the Islamic State Worldwide Activity interactive map

The Islamic State Select Worldwide Activity

Explore the most comprehensive public archive of Islamic State attack data, media output, government designations, and legal cases to understand the organization’s global reach,

Screenshot of the Iran External Operations interactive map

Iran External Operations 1979-present

Access this powerful interactive tool, which maps over forty-five years of Iranian clandestine operations around the globe.

In Focus: Terrorism

Twenty-Five Years After Sept. 11, We’re Losing Sight of the Threat

The United States is safer from catastrophic terrorism, but emerging technologies, weakened international partnerships, and allied military drawdowns in Africa are creating new blind spots.

Sep 10, 2026

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Michael Jacobson
Scott Allan

9/11 Led to an Explosion of Counterterrorism Expertise. Are We Squandering It?

America’s institutional knowledge about global jihadist terrorism took decades to accumulate, but it could disappear much faster.

Sep 9, 2026

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Aaron Y. Zelin

The National Counterterrorism Center in Virginia - source: Reuters

25 Years After 9/11: NCTC Directors Assess Progress and Remaining Challenges

Three top former counterterrorism officials look back on a quarter-century of combating the global terrorist threat, discussing how their setbacks

Sep 9, 2026

The Looming Terrorist Threats to America

Faced with brain drain, ideological distortion, and a wavering strategic focus, U.S. counterterrorism officials are being asked to do more

Sep 8, 2026

Regions & Countries

Issues

3 Things I'm Watching: 25 Years After 9/11

Counterterrorism Lectures

Webcast Today: NCTC Directors Assess Progress and Remaining Challenges 25 Years After 9/11

Interactive Maps

In Focus: Terrorism