We want to make sure you get the best viewing experience for the content you are viewing. Our goal is to improve each visit with data that creates this experience for you and those you share it with. We appreciate your continued readership.

Sounds Good! Privacy Policy

ISIS

Archive, Strategic AdversariesAl Qaeda, apocalyptic motivations, artificial intelligence, Assad regime, border security, communication channels, conventional attack, cyber capabilities, diplomatic channels, false flag attack, global security, global strategic stability, intelligence-sharing, ISIS, Islamic caliphate, jihadi actors, Jonathan Rodriguez Cefalu, martyrdom, missile defense, missile system, Nasir al-Fahd, NATO, NATO member, North Caucasus, nuclear compellence, Nuclear Retaliation, nuclear war, Oksana Bairachna, Osama bin Laden, Preamble, prompt injection, Putin, Russia, security vulnerabilities, Syria, verification systems, weapons of mass destruction

Why and How ISIS Leaders Might Exploit Putin’s Nuclear Compellence to Destroy Russia

Johnathan Rodriguez Cefalu & Oksana Bairachna0 Comments

In September 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled a significant shift in Russia’s nuclear posture. He indicated that any conventional attack on Russian soil, particularly with the backing of a…

Archive, Strategic AdversariesAfghanistan, Al Qaeda, drug monopoly, Ghazni, global terrorist groups, illicit trade, ISIS, islamic jihad, Islamic Terrorists, madrasa, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism, UN Security Council, UNAMA, West

The Coming Disaster in Afghanistan

Unnamed Afghan0 Comments

Afghanistan, under Taliban control, is a powder keg ready to erupt with consequences that will ripple throughout the region and the world. The driving forces of this impending disaster are…

Archive, Strategic AdversariesAfrica, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, EU, European, gold mines, ISIS, Libya, logistics, Mali, NATO, Navy, Niger, red sea, Russia, Sudan, Wagner group

Russia’s Influence in Africa: Understanding the Big Picture

Mohamed ELDoh0 Comments

A concerning trend in Africa is developing. Political instability is increasing. This trend is reflected in military coups that occurred in African countries between 2020 and 2024. For example, Presidential…

Defense & SecurityAl Qaeda, COVID-19, Iraq, ISIS, Syria, Terrorism

COVID-19 and the Increasing Risk of Terrorism

Mohamed ELDoh

There is no doubt that the global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of life. From how we interact with one another to how we commute and work, people…

Defense & SecurityAfghanistan, ISIS, Pakistan, Taliban, United States

With the U.S.-Taliban Deal in place, IS-K seeks to build a reign of terror in Afghanistan

Ahmad Shah Katawazai

Last Sunday evening, a large prison in eastern Afghanistan was stormed by IS-K militants resulting in dozens of casualties and hundreds of prisoners escaping. The sophisticated attack continued for almost…

Defense & SecurityAfghanistan, Al Qaeda, China, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Pakistan, Private Military Companies, Russia, United States

Paid to Kill: An Examination of the Evolution of Combatants for Hire

Joshua E. Duke

Throughout world history, as long as there has been conflict among people, there have been people willing to pay others to carry out violence. From assassins and mercenaries to bounty…

Defense & SecurityAfghanistan, Iraq, ISIS, Terrorism, United States

After Almost Twenty Years, America’s “War on Terrorism” Resembles Insanity

John Arias

September 11th, 2020 will mark the nineteenth year since the attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. For those nineteen years, terrorism underpinned U.S. foreign policy decision making. As a result,…

Defense & SecurityIraq, ISIS, Syria, Terrorism, United States

Now That Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is Dead, What Next?

Alan Lis

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, was killed on the 26th of October in a raid carried out by U.S. Special Forces when he detonated a suicide…

Defense & SecurityIndia, Iraq, ISIS, Sri Lanka, Syria

Sri Lanka: Jihadism and Separatism in an Ethnically-Divided Country

Paolo Zucconi

On April 21st, Sri Lanka suffered from several lethal terrorist attacks that killed at least 359 people and injured over 500 more. Of the victims, thirty-five were citizens of foreign…

Defense & SecurityHezbollah, Iran, Iraq, IRGC, ISIS, Lebanon, Syria, United States

Designating the IRGC as a Terrorist Group: Consequences for U.S. Forces

Ali Arfa

The obsession in the United States with the “war on terror” entered a new phase when U.S. President Donald Trump formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign…

Defense & SecurityAl Qaeda, Algeria, Egypt, European Union, ISIS, Lybia, Morocco, North Africa, Tunisia

The Resilience of Jihadi Extremist Groups in North Africa

Paolo Zucconi

Eight years after Qaddafi's fall, Libya remains in a state of chaos due to the fragmentation of power and contrast between West and East Libya (Tripoli and Tobruk)—as well as…

Defense & SecurityAl Qaeda, European Union, ISIS, United Kingdom

U.K. Statutory Prevent Duty: The Creation and Consequences of a Police-State

Antonio Perra

Introduced by Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, the Prevent Duty seeks to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism by leveraging on the notion of “non-violent…