Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Affirming U.S. Commitments Abroad: The View from Syria’s Democratic Council

The head of the council joins two Washington Institute experts for a far-ranging conversation on the U.S. role in the northeast, Kurdish threat perceptions, the effect of the Afghanistan withdrawal, and more.

Sep 29, 2021

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Elham Ahmad
Andrew J. Tabler
David Pollock

Articles & Testimony

The Assad Regime’s Business Model for Supporting the Islamic State

The international community stepped up to the ISIS challenge but has failed miserably to address the multifaceted problems presented by Assad, whose regime has worked with the terrorist group on and off for years.

Sep 26, 2021

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Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

Transatlantic Cooperation on Countering Global Violent Extremism

Reinvesting in civilian capabilities, sharing the burden with other actors, and assessing the widening ideological scope of the extremist threat will be central to any effective program of action.

Sep 22, 2021

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Matthew Levitt

President Biden addresses the UN General Assembly

Articles & Testimony

Biden UN Speech Misunderstands the Point of ‘Forever Wars’—in the Mideast and Elsewhere

U.S. military deployments create the strong alliances and local partnerships that the president said he wants.

Sep 20, 2021

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Ido Levy

Brief Analysis

A Tale of Two Islamic State Insurgencies in Syria

The SDF has made remarkable progress in its anti-IS operations while Assad’s forces have stagnated, but the coalition and its local partners must still prepare for a renewed terrorist threat on their exposed southern flank.

Sep 17, 2021

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Ido Levy

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Hossein Moanes Sparks Angry Words Between Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq

The senior KH member now leads a new political movement that is competing with other Iran-backed militia factions for votes in the coming election.

Sep 14, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Proxies in Iraq Undertake the World's Only Terrorist Attack Commemorating 9/11

Two drones were intercepted in a mission that Sabereen News dedicated to “reminding the Americans of the September 11 attacks."

Sep 14, 2021

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

The 9/11 Attacks, 20 Years On: An FBI Terrorism Analyst Reflects on an Unwinnable War

As Washington recalibrates its costly strategy against violent extremists, its goal should be to reduce terrorism to a low-level threat that law enforcement can handle.

Sep 11, 2021

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Matthew Levitt

Brief Analysis

When Tunisians Fired the Start Gun for 9/11

A footnote in one decade of jihadist history can become a major mobilizer for terrorists and foreign fighters in subsequent years, and few cases illustrate this problem better than the Tunisian operatives involved in the 2001 murder of an Afghan rebel leader.

Sep 9, 2021

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Aaron Y. Zelin

A Taliban fighter at a police station in Kabul

Articles & Testimony

How Not to Repeat My History with the Taliban

To avoid the worst outcomes, Washington needs to assiduously enforce any deals with the new Afghan leadership, cooperate effectively with other world powers, and explain to a domestic audience how the withdrawal will facilitate a focus on different priorities.

Sep 2, 2021

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David Pollock

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Badr Organization

Badr is the wellspring of many of today's armed resistance groups and still operates under the indirect and sometimes direct control of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Sep 2, 2021

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Articles & Testimony

As Kabul Evacuation Winds Down, Pakistan Will Take Center Stage

Although Pakistan will be playing its own games in Afghanistan (and against India), planners in the Pentagon will still need to work with Islamabad to preserve future overflight options.

Aug 30, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Photo showing 1983 terrorist attack at U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.

Articles & Testimony

Stop the Doomsaying, U.S. Credibility Will Weather Afghanistan

Regional mistakes and setbacks stretching back to the Carter administration did not stop countries from relying on Washington, and the Kabul crisis will be no different in the end.

Aug 29, 2021

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

State of Investigation? The International Criminal Court and the “Situation in Palestine”

The legal details of recent preliminary rulings presage the difficulties that the ICC will likely encounter while investigating the Israeli-Palestinian scene, highlighting the broader dilemma of importing political conflicts into the courtroom.

Aug 26, 2021

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Alexander Loengarov

Photo showing Taliban fighters outside Kabul Airport, August 2021.

Video

Brief Analysis

From Afghanistan to the Middle East:

Implications of the U.S. Withdrawal and Taliban Victory

Three Institute scholars discuss the fallout from Kabul, with special focus on the consequences for global jihadism, Iranian policy, and regional responses.

Aug 26, 2021

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Kathryn Wheelbarger
Aaron Y. Zelin
Patrick Clawson

Articles & Testimony

The Taliban Is Back, and the World’s Jihadis Are Coming

Much ink has been spilled about a potential al-Qaeda comeback, but the Taliban’s return could also send insurgents and refugees streaming toward China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.

Aug 18, 2021

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Roy Gutman

The Taliban flag on display in Kabul, Afghanistan

Brief Analysis

Return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: The Jihadist State of Play

Regardless of the Taliban’s promises to keep foreign terrorist elements in check, its victory is already boosting elements within the jihadist movement and may once again spur foreign fighter traffic to Afghanistan.

Aug 18, 2021

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Brief Analysis

Iran Is Poised to Exploit the Uncertainties of the Afghan Collapse

Since the fall of Kabul—and well beforehand—Iranian officials have signaled how they might use a Taliban victory to further their goals in the Middle East, though they remain concerned about the fate of Afghan Shia.

Aug 18, 2021

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Farzin Nadimi

Articles & Testimony

Jihadi Schadenfreude Over al-Nahdah in Tunisia

Whether or not Tunis repeats its past security mistakes, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State may see the president’s destabilizing power move as an opportunity to prod the government’s capabilities.

Aug 12, 2021

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Brief Analysis

Lebanon’s Crisis and UNIFIL’s Mandate Renewal

To make UNIFIL more effective and prevent dangerous destabilization in the south, the Security Council should review the force’s mandate more frequently, reallocate its resources to better fit its mission, make reporting more transparent and accurate, and hold the government and LAF accountable for their obstruction.

Aug 10, 2021

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David Schenker
Assaf Orion

Supported by the

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

The Washington Institute's Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence serves as Washington's premier center for the study of international terrorism.

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Featured experts

Matthew Levitt

Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow and director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute.

Devorah Margolin

Devorah Margolin is the Blumenstein-Rosenbloom Fellow at The Washington Institute.

Aaron Y. Zelin

Aaron Y. Zelin is the Richard Borow Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where his research focuses on Sunni Arab jihadi groups in North Africa and Syria as well as the trend of foreign fighting and online jihadism.

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Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

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Regions & Countries

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Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

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