A nation must think before it acts.
The Foreign Policy Research Institute has been a hub for leading scholars and practitioners in the field of terrorism, counterterrorism, and extremism to produce a number very important works on the topics of ISIS, al-Qaeda, the global jihad movement, and the impacts of their activities on the MENA region and the world. These works have helped shape both the policy and scholarly discussion around these topics, and put FPRI on the map as a leading think tank on the rise of global jihadism. Below is a sampling of this work:
Audio:
What Does the “Day After” look like for Syria? · Benedetta Berti · Tally Helfont
October 22, 2018
While the conflict in Syria shows no sign of abating, scholars and policymakers alike are trying to make projections for the “day after,” when the fighting stops and reconstruction begins. In this podcast, Dr. Benedetta Berti tackles this thorny issue as well as the necessity of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) of former combatants, and the modus operandi of the current range of actors operating in the Syrian theater.
Life After the Caliphate · Nada Bakos · Mia Bloom · Tally Helfont
March 15, 2018
Although most of ISIS’s territory has been wrested from its control, the threat posed by this terrorist organization and by competing jihadi actors has not diminished. How will ISIS and others utilize online platforms to continue to sow global terror? What can the authorities do in cyberspace to crack down on online recruiting? And what is the future role of military force against remnants of this deadly group in the Middle East and North Africa?
Nexus of Global Jihad: Understanding Cooperation Among Terrorists· Assaf Moghadam · Barak Mendelsohn
November 3, 2017
Drawing on recently declassified, this discussion explored how terrorists cooperate and how these relationships contribute to the success and resilience of jihadi terrorism – based on Moghadam’s new book.
Iraq: Where Do We Go from Here? · Nada Bakos · Denise Natali · Samuel Helfont
May 18, 2017
Iraq has been at the center of American foreign policy for over a quarter-century. Will it continue to dominate our attention and resources in the coming years as well? If so, how? Just as importantly, why? To answer these questions, we bring together two experts who have had some of the most unique and consequential experiences in Iraq over the past two decades.
The al Qaeda Franchise: The Expansion of al Qaeda and its Consequences · Barak Mendelsohn
January 19, 2016
Over the past decade and a half, al-Qaeda has adopted a branching-out strategy, introducing seven franchises spread over the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Although the introduction of these new branches helped al-Qaeda create a frightening image far beyond its actual capabilities, ultimately this strategy neither increased the al-Qaeda threat, nor enhanced the organization’s political objectives. In fact, this strategy may have undermined one of al-Qaeda’s primary achievements: the creation of a transnational entity based on religious, not national, affiliation. Was al-Qaeda’s branching out strategy a sign of strength or a response to its decline in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks? Why has al-Qaeda formed branches in some arenas but not others? How has the rise of ISIS from an al-Qaeda branch to the dominant actor in the jihadi camp affected the parent organization’s ambitions?
Video:
| Compulsion in Religion: Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies Featuring Samuel Helfont (2018) |
What to Do about ISIS? Featuring Marty Moss-Coane, Trudy Rubin, and Clint Watts (2016) |
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Erasing Borders and Exporting Terror: |
ISIS, CVE, and Foreign Fighters Featuring William McCants, Trudy Rubin, Clint Watts, and Michael P. Noonan (2015) |
Publications:
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Nada Bakos |
Barak Mendelsohn Rowman & Littlefield, Foreign Policy Research Institute, 2018 |
Samuel Helfont Oxford University Press, 2018 |
Clint Watts |
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Stabilizing the Fertile Crescent After the Fall of the Caliphate, Special Issue of Orbis 62:3 (Summer 2018) |
Benedetta Berti Mondadori, 2017 |
Barak Mendelsohn Oxford University Press, 2016 |
Colin P. Clarke |
2018
- Rebuilding Iraq’s Public Works Infrastructure Following the Defeat of ISIS – Frank R. Gunter – November 2018
- Confronting America’s Violent Extremists: A Terrorism Prevention Strategy for the Homeland – Haroro J. Ingram – November, 2018
- The Caliph’s Role in the (un)Surprising Resilience of the Islamic State – After the Caliphate Project, E-Notes – Haroro J. Ingram, Craig A. Whiteside –
- Strategic Implications of the Syrian Offensive in Idlib – E-Notes – Christopher J. Bolan – September, 2018
- Bound to Fail: Transnational Jihadism and the Aggregation Problem – After the Caliphate Project, Outside Publications – Barak Mendelsohn –
- Saudi Arabia’s New Realism in Iraq – E-Notes – Rasha Al Aqeedi – August, 2018
- Stabilizing the Fertile Crescent after the Fall of the Caliphate – After the Caliphate Project, E-Notes – Tally Helfont, Samuel Helfont –
- Mapping Today’s Jihadi Landscape and Threat – Orbis – Colin P. Clarke, Assaf Moghadam – June, 2018
- Assessing the Future Threat: ISIS’s Virtual Caliphate – Orbis – Mia Bloom, Chelsea L. Daymon – June, 2018
- Immunizing Iraq Against al-Qaeda 3.0 – Orbis – Frank R. Gunter – June, 2018
- An Arab Option for Iraq – Orbis – Samuel Helfont – June, 2018
- Stability in Syria: What Would it Take to Make it Happen? – Orbis – Benedetta Berti – June, 2018
- Iran’s Hezbollah Model in Iraq and Syria: Fait Accompli? – Orbis – Brandon Friedman – June, 2018
- A More Forward Role for the Gulf States? Combatting Terrorism at Home and Abroad – Orbis – Tally Helfont – June, 2018
- Beyond Kinetic Operations: A Road Map to Success in Syria and Iraq – Orbis – Nada Bakos – June, 2018
- A Weary Hercules: The United States and the Fertile Crescent in a Post-Caliphate Era – Orbis – Dominic Tierney – June, 2018
- Defeating the ISIS Nostalgia Narrative – After the Caliphate Project – Colin P. Clarke, Haroro J. Ingram –
- Landpower, Time, and Terrorism: A Strategy of Lightness in the Counter-ISIS Campaign – Orbis – Tianchi Wu – April, 2018
- What Poker Tells Us about ISIS’s Changing Strategy – Geopoliticus – Justin Conrad – March 20, 2018
- Debating Disruption in the World Order: The Middle East, Cascading Conflict – Observer Research Foundation – Tally Helfont – January, 2018
- The Elusive Quest for Stability in Syria – Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies – Brandon Friedman – January, 2018
2017
- The Future of Iraq’s Minorities: What’s Next After ISIS – United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations – Denise Natali – October, 2017
- ISIS Recruiting: It’s Not (Just) Ideological – E-Notes – Dounia Bouzar, Carol Rollie Flynn – September, 2017
- What Iraq Must do to Prevent Another Generation of Terrorists – The Morning Call – Frank R. Gunter – July, 2017
- Comments on Iraq: Where Do We Go From Here? – Geopoliticus – Frank R. Gunter –
- Weaponizing Sectarianism in Iraq and Syria – Orbis – Uzi Rabi, Brandon Friedman – June, 2017
- Getting Peshmerga Reform Right: Helping the Iraqi Kurds to Help Themselves in Post-ISIS Iraq – E-Notes – Samuel Helfont – May, 2017
- Gaining Trust While Losing Wars: Confidence in the U.S. Military after Iraq and Afghanistan – Orbis – David T. Burbach – April, 2017
- Just Terror: The Islamic State’s Use of Strategic “Framing” to Recruit and Motivate – Orbis – Leonard C. Robinson – April, 2017
- Limits to the Islamic State – Orbis – Carmel Davis – April, 2017
- Operation Inherent Resolve and the Islamic State: Assessing “Aggressive Containment” – Orbis – C. Alexander Ohlers – April, 2017
- The November 2015 Paris Attacks: The Impact of Foreign Fighter Returnees – Orbis – R. Kim Cragin – April, 2017
- Why al Qaeda and Islamic State Threats To Attack The West Should Be Taken More Seriously Now – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – January 18, 2017
- Sectarianism and War in Iraq and Syria – E-Notes -Brandon Friedman – January, 2017
2016
- Putting the Battle for Mosul in Context – Geopoliticus – Samuel Helfont –
- America’s Counterterrorism Allies: What Are They Good For? – Lawfare – Clint Watts – October, 2016
- Commentary: Al Qaeda’s ruthless pragmatism makes it more dangerous than Islamic State – Reuters – Barak Mendelsohn – October, 2016
- Two-and-a-Half Years After ISIS’s Rise: Global Jihad Spreads And Morphs – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – September 27, 2016
- It’s been 15 years since 9/11. How has al-Qaeda changed? – The Washington Post -Barak Mendelsohn – September, 2016
- ISIS’ Lone-Wolf Strategy – Foreign Affairs -Barak Mendelsohn – August, 2016
- What Should We Make Of The Islamic State’s Ramadan Wave Of Violence? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – July 5, 2016
- It’s Not You, It’s Me: al-Qaeda Lost Jabhat al-Nusra. Now What? – War on the Rocks – Clint Watts – July, 2016
- Deciphering Competition Between al-Qa’ida and the Islamic State – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point Sentinel – Clint Watts – July, 2016
- Why Does Progress Against ISIS in Iraq and Syria Feel Like Defeat? – World Politics Review – Clint Watts – July, 2016
- Horrific ISIS Attacks During Ramadan Disguise a Retreating and Fracturing Terror Group – Huffington Post WorldPost – Clint Watts – July, 2016
- How To Break Up With Al Qaeda & Date ISIS – FPRI Infographics, Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – June 25, 2016
- After Orlando: What is different about the current Islamic State-inspired attacks? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – June 23, 2016
- Jihad’s Civil War – Foreign Affairs -Barak Mendelsohn – June, 2016
- Beyond Syria and Iraq, The Islamic State’s HR Files Illuminate Dangerous Trends – War on the Rocks – Clint Watts – June, 2016
- When The Caliphate Crumbles: The Future Of The Islamic State’s Affiliates – War on the Rocks – Clint Watts – June, 2016
- Terrorism’s Deadly New Breed – Foreign Policy – Clint Watts – June, 2016
- Why ISIS Beats al Qaeda in Europe – Foreign Affairs – Clint Watts – April, 2016
- Saddam Did Not Create ISIS – Foreign Affairs – Samuel Helfont – April, 2016
- Terror in Europe: Safeguarding U.S. Citizens At Home And Abroad – Transcripts and Testimonies – Clint Watts – April, 2016
- Brussels’ Big Terrorism Problem: Is This the Islamic State? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – March 22, 2016
- A Wounded Islamic State is A Dangerous Islamic State – Foreign Policy – Clint Watts – March, 2016
- The Islamic State in Europe: Terrorists without Borders, Counterterrorists with All Borders – War on the Rocks – Clint Watts – March, 2016
- Silicon Valley Meets The Snake Eaters: State Department’s Countermessaging Goes Back To The Future – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – February 10, 2016
- Why the U.S. Can’t Make a Magazine Like ISIS – The Daily Beast – Clint Watts – January, 2016
- What is the Future of al-Qaida and the Islamic State? – The Brookings Institution’s Markaz Blog – Clint Watts – January, 2016
- What is the future of al-Qaida and the Islamic State? – The Brookings Institution’s Markaz Blog – Barak Mendelsohn – January, 2016
- Saddam’s ISIS?: The Terrorist Group’s Real Origin Story – Foreign Affairs – Samuel Helfont – January, 2016
2015
- 5 Questions on the Islamic State for GOP Presidential Candidates – War on the Rocks – Clint Watts – December, 2015
- Why Assad Must Go – Geopoliticus – Samuel Helfont –
- Who Conducted the Paris Attacks & Stormed the Bataclan Theater? ISIS? Al Qaeda? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – November 13, 2015
- U.S. Troops in Syria: A Quick Assessment Of The U.S. Strategy To Combat The Islamic State – One Year On – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – November 4, 2015
- Divide and Conquer in Syria and Iraq – Forerign Affairs – Barak Mendelsohn – November, 2015
- ISIS and al Qaeda Race to the Bottom – Clint Watts – November, 2015
- Did Anonymous Just Save the World from ISIL? – War on the Rocks – Clint Watts – November, 2015
- Russia returns as al Qaeda and the Islamic State’s ‘Far Enemy’ – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – October 26, 2015
- Triangular Politics in Syria: Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia – Moshe Dayan Center – Brandon Friedman -October, 2015
- The Islamic State Online: Countering the Symptom Rather Than The Disease May Only Make Them Stronger – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – September 15, 2015
- Can the Islamic State hijack September 11 from Zawahiri’s al Qaeda? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – September 9, 2015
- Four Key Drivers For Eroding ISIS – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – June 15, 2015
- ISIL Revenues: Grow or Die – E-Notes – Frank R. Gunter – June, 2015
- Are We Our Own Worst Enemy? The Problems in Countering Jihadi Narratives and How to Fix Them – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – May 25, 2015
- Why the U.S. Raid On Abu Sayyaf and ISIS in Eastern Syria May Be A Game Changer – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – May 16, 2015
- The Jihadi Threat to International Order – The Washington Post – Barak Mendelsohn – May, 2015
- Confessions of a Jihadi Nerd: A Guide to Reading the New Bin Laden Documents – War on the Rocks – Clint Watts – May, 2015
- One year later, ISIS overtakes al Qaeda: What’s next? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – April 8, 2015
- End Game: Al-Shabab as a Model for the Islamic State’s Decline – World Politics Review – Clint Watts – April, 2015
- The Islamic State and Boko Haram: Fifth Wave Jihadist Terror Groups – Orbis – Anthony N. Celso – Spril, 2015
- ISIS Gets Kicked Off Twitter: Will they evolve or devolve on the Internet? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – March 11, 2015
- Islamic State in Yemen: Why IS is Seeking to Expand – BBC News – Barak Mendelsohn – March, 2015
- Accepting Al Qaeda – Foreign Affairs – Barak Mendelsohn – March, 2015
- The White House CVE Summit: What should we expect? More of the same or a new direction to counter ISIS? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – February 18, 2015
- The Microsoft of Terrorism – Foreign Affairs – Clint Watts – February, 2015
- Countering ISIL’s Ideology: Keep It Limited, Focused, and in Tune with Lessons Learned – Washington Institute for Near East Policy – Clint Watts – February, 2015
- Jordan, ISIS, #WeAreAllMuadh – E-Notes – Tally Helfont – February, 2015
- Who attacked Charlie Hebdo in Paris? Assessing a Jihadi Attack in The West, ISIS vs al Qaeda – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – January 7, 2015
- Inspired, Networked, & Directed – The Muddled Jihad of ISIS & al Qaeda Post Hebdo – War on the Rocks – Clint Watts – January, 2015
- ISIS and Oil: Iraq’s Perfect Storm – E-Notes -Frank R. Gunter – January, 2015
2014
- As ISIS Takes A Pounding While Nusra Takes Ground In Syria’s Security Vacuum – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – December 15, 2014
- You Don’t Win Hearts and Minds, You Rent Them – Reigniting Sunni Tribes Against ISIS – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – November 17, 2014
- A New Strategy to Defeat Al-Qaeda in Yemen – Orbis – Daniel R. Green – November, 2014
- ‘Unlawful Combatants’: The West’s Treatment of Irregular Fighters in the ‘War on Terror’ – Orbis – Sibylle Scheipers – November, 2014
- Al Qaeda versus ISIS: In the campaign for jihad’s top slot, Yemen is a swing state. – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – October 9, 2014
- “Why Don’t We Go After Assad in Syria First?” – Thoughts on Countering ISIS Part 4 – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – September 29, 2014
- Seven Flaws In the U.S. Strategy to Counter ISIS – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – September 18, 2014
- The U.S. Can’t Destroy ISIS, Only ISIS Can Destroy ISIS – The Unfortunate Merits of the “Let Them Rot” Strategy – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – September 8, 2014
- Why would the U.S. want to be ISIS’s ‘Far Enemy’? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – August 27, 2014
- The ISIL Invasion of Iraq: Economic Winners and Losers – E-Notes -Frank R. Gunter – July, 2014
- How does the U.S. counter al Qaeda while al Qaeda fights itself? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – May 5, 2014
- Would jihad’s new generation kill off al-Qaeda’s global leader Ayman al-Zawahiri? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – April 21, 2014
- Cycles of Jihadist Movements and the Role of Irrationality– Orbis – Anthony N. Celso – April, 2014
- ISIS’s Rise After al Qaeda’s House of Cards – Part 4 of “Smarter Counterterrorism” – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – March 22, 2014
- Jihadi Competition After al Qaeda Hegemony – The ‘Old Guard’, Team ISIS & The Battle For Jihadi Hearts & Minds – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – February 20, 2014
- Treating America’s al Qaeda Addiction – Part 2 of “Smarter Counterterrorism” – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – February 17, 2014
- Smarter Counterterrorism in The Age of Competing Al Qaeda’s – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – February 10, 2014
- Israel: Has ‘Old Guard’ al Qaeda Shifted Focus? – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – January 23, 2014
- In Syria, an al Qaeda group falls victim to other Islamists and jihadists – Geopoliticus – Clint Watts – January 6, 2014
- Ending the War with Al Qaeda – Orbis – Christopher McIntosh – January, 2014
Related Work:
“After the Caliphate: Reassessing the Jihadi Threat and Stabilizing the Fertile Crescent” was a special project carried out by FPRI’s Program on the Middle East in 2017-18, and included a book, a thematic issue of Orbis: FPRI’s Journal of World Affairs (Summer 2018), three live FPRI events, and two podcasts meant to bring the insights of the project to a diverse audience in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and on the web. To learn more, click here.