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Self-inflicted Wounds: Debates and Divisions within Al-Qa'ida and Its Periphery
"Self‐Inflicted Wounds: Debates and Divisions within al‐Qa'ida and its Periphery examines the internal, or endogenous, reasons that have hastened the decline of the jihadi movement. In doing so, it exposes the jihadi movement, with al‐Qa'ida at its helm, as one that lacks coherence and unity, despite its claims to the contrary. The report divides the jihadis' endogenous problems into two categories: internal divisions plaguing al‐Qa'ida and the jihadi movement proper; and fault lines dividing the jihadi movement from other Muslim and Islamist actors. The internal jihadi divisions examined in this report include tactical disagreements over takfir (excommunication of Muslims) and the killing of Muslims; strategic disagreements over whether the jihadi struggle should focus on the near enemy (i.e., nominally Muslim regimes) or the far enemy (the United States and its Western allies); friction between jihadi pragmatists and jihadi doctrinarians; rifts between al‐Qa'ida Central and local affiliates; as well as the sometimes tense relations between Arab and non‐Arab members of the jihadi movement. The competition between the jihadis and their Muslim counterparts scrutinizes the jihadis' relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and the Shi'a community."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Moghadam, Assaf, 1974-; Fishman, Brian
2010-12-16
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Remotely Piloted Innovation: Terrorism, Drones and Supportive Technology
From the executive summary: "In mid-August 2016, the Shiite militant group Hezbollah reportedly dropped two small bombs from what is believed to have been a modified, commercially available drone that it was flying over rebel positions in Syria. While terrorist groups have long had a fascination with drones and experimented with their use, the incident was a first for a terror group, and it potentially represents the leading edge of a wave of similar incidents that could follow in the months, years and decades ahead. Much has been made of the threat of terror use of drones (also known as 'uninhabited aircraft systems,' or UASs), but little empirical and historical work has been done to support our understanding of this phenomenon and its evolution. This report seeks to address this gap by providing a review of, and framework to situate, cases in which terrorist entities have either shown a substantive interest in drones or have used them. It evaluates both individual use cases and the activity of groups that have used drones frequently enough to constitute their having a 'program.' These cases are then complemented by a review of the creative ways that private citizens have used drones, in order to provide decision makers with a firmer baseline of both demonstrated terror capability and what lies within the immediate realm of possibility, given what has already been achieved by others. This report also includes an overview of new technologies that are likely to further complicate the scope of this developing threat."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Rassler, Don
2016-10
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Risky Business: The Global Threat Network and the Politics of Contraband
"This study looks at the interrelationship between illicit activity in the economic and political arenas. It offers a different perspective on the global illicit marketplace and the connectivity between crime and terror through examining the relationships of those who produce and profit from fear for financial or political purposes. Looking across a range of illicit activities that include terrorism, the illegal narcotics trade, organized crime, human smuggling and political corruption, the network analysis includes 2,700 individuals linked by 15,000 relationships spanning 122 countries. Conventional wisdom suggests that criminal-terrorist connectivity is a phenomenon found in failed and economically poor states. This argument relies on four assumptions: (1) poor economic conditions drive people into the illicit sectors; (2) criminal and terrorist actors are more likely to thrive in environments with weak governments and poverty; (3) because it is easy for terrorist and criminals to cooperate, they will; (4) governmental and illicit actors are adversaries. The results of this study suggest that there is good reason to question each of these assumptions and in turn to revisit the fundamental empirical data relating to and explanations of crime-terror connectivity."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Helfstein, Scott; Solomon, John
2014-05
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Caliphate's Global Workforce: An Inside Look at the Islamic State's Foreign Fighter Paper Trail
"The purpose of this report is to provide an analysis of over 4,600 unique Islamic State personnel records that were produced by the group primarily between early 2013 and late 2014. The importance of this data for understanding the Islamic State and, in particular, the foreign fighter flow, cannot be overstated. To put it simply, it is the largest cache of primary source documents produced by the Islamic State available in the open-source as of this date. These particular documents were acquired by NBC [National Broadcasting Company] News from an Islamic State defector and subsequently provided to the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point (and other entities). This report provides a window into the organization's global workforce, revealing information about foreign fighters' countries of origin, citizenship, points of entry into Syria, marital status, skills and previous occupations, education levels, religious knowledge, fighting role preferences in the group, and previous jihadist experience. In addition to analyzing the data at the macro-level, the report also highlights numerous anecdotes of individual fighters. Taken together, the analysis in this report reveals an organization that is attempting to vet new members, manage talent efectively within the organization, and deal with a diverse pool of recruits."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Dodwell, Brian; Hamilton, Daniel S. (Daniel Sheldon), 1955-; Rassler, Don
2016-04
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CTC Perspectives: Militant Rivalries Extend to Female Recruitment in Pakistan
"In an attempt to keep apace with the latest trends in jihadi recruitment, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) released a 45-page, English-language magazine Sunnat-e-Khaula in August 2017, named after a historical Muslim female fighter. Although this is not the first time that TTP has released a glossy propaganda publication in English, making a direct appeal to educated Pakistani women is a novel endeavor for the group. [...] Viewed in the context of an increasingly competitive environment, TTP's women's magazine signals the group's desire to employ women for both supportive and operational roles--extending the turf war between ISK (Islamic State of Khurasan), TTP, and potentially other local militant actors to the female sphere. Left unchecked, operational support of Pakistani women to facilitate extremist groups may generate dangerous consequences for militancy and terrorism in the region. A change in recruitment patterns is an early warning of evolving tactics--and one that requires corresponding changes in counterterrorism efforts."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Jadoon, Amira; Mahmood, Sara
2017-09-14
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CTC Sentinel [August 2019]
This August 2019 issue of the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel features an article covering the increasing presence of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria titled "Iran's Expanding Militia Army in Iraq: The New Special Groups," by Michael Knights. Other reports include: "A View from the CT [counterterrorism] Foxhole: Suzanne Raine, Former Head of the United Kingdom's Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre" by Raffaello Pantucci; "Western Balkans Foreign Fighters and Homegrown Jihadis: Trends and Implications," by Adrian Shtuni; "Returnee Foreign Fighters from Syria and Iraq: The Kosovan Experience," by Kujtim Bytyqi and Sam Mullins; and "Maduro's Revolutionary Guards: The Rise of Paramilitarism in Venezuela" by Ross Dayton.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2019-08
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CTC Sentinel [September 2019]
This September 2019 issue of the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel features the following article: "Eighteen Years On: The War on Terror Comes of Age" by Daniel Byman. Other reports include: "A View from the CT [counterterrorism] Foxhole: Joseph Maguire, Acting Director of National Intelligence" by Paul Cruickshank and Brian Dodwell; "Taking Aim: Islamic State Korasan's Leadership Losses" by Amira Jadoon and Andrew Mines; "Relatives, Redemption, and Rice: Motivations for Joining the Maute Group" by Julie Chernov Hwang; and "The Development of Tunisia's Domestic Counter-Terrorism Finance Capability" by Aaron Y. Zelin and Katherine Bauer.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2019-09
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CTC Sentinel [July 2019]
The April 2019 issue of the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel features the following article: "East Africa's Terrorist Triple Helix: The Dusit Hotel Attack and the Historical
Evolution of the Jihadi Threat " by Mayy Bryden and Premdeep Bahra. Other articles include: A View from the CT Foxhole: Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director, Europol" by Paul Cruickshank; "The Christchurch Attacks: Livestream Terror in the Viral Video Age" by Graham Macklin; "From Daesh to 'Diaspora' II: The Challenges Posed by Women and Minors After the Fall of the Caliphate" by Joana Cook and Gina Vale; and "The Terrorist Threat to Europe from Frustrated Travelers" by Robin Simcox.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2019-07
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'Arab Spring': Investing in Durable Peace
"The purpose of this White Paper is to offer a strategic analysis that could form the basis of the U.S. Army's engagement strategy in response to the 'Arab Spring.' To help appreciate the complexities of the rapidly unfolding events and the type of engagement required, the strategic direction proposed is presented against the background of pre-Arab Spring U.S. policy and Army engagement in the Middle East and North Africa."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Lahoud, Nelly, 1972-; DiMeo, David; Jebb, Cindy R. . . .
2011-06-29
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From Cradle to Grave: The Lifecycle of Foreign Fighters in Iraq and Syria
"This report, based on over 4,000 leaked personnel records, gave an interesting inside look at who the group was able to bring into the organization and also how the group was trying to manage the large number of recruits. This report breaks down the experience (or lifecycle) of foreign fighters into three stages: pre-departure, in theater, and return. However, because the personnel records used in the previous report do not speak to each of these stages, this report then uses open-source reporting on these fighters to code variables in each of these different stages. Using a dataset of nearly 1,200 foreign fighters from mostly Western Europe and North America, this report offers a more holistic examination of what the fighter flows look like, but also what challenges policymakers and practitioners will face as they continue to deal with this enduring and complicated problem."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Perliger, Arie; Hamilton, Daniel S. (Daniel Sheldon), 1955-
2016-11
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Rationale of Political Assassinations
"This study is guided by the rationale that the logic of political assassinations is different from that of other manifestations of political violence. Hence, it is important to understand the unique factors that may encourage or discourage violent groups or individuals from engaging in political assassinations. Moreover, it seems reasonable to assume that these factors vary among different types of assassinations, because in most cases the characteristics of the targeted individual shape the nature and objectives of the assassination. Indeed, this study establishes that different processes trigger different types of assassinations, and that different types of assassination s generate distinct effects on the political and social arenas."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Perliger, Arie
2015-02
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White Paper on: Terrorism, Deterrence, and Nuclear Weapons
"The Combating Terrorism Center produced this paper at the request of the Secretary of Defense Task Force on DoD Nuclear Weapons Management. The task Force asked the Combating Terrorism Center and the Department of Social Sciences at United Stated Military Academy to consider the concept of deterrence within the context of two questions: 1) how jihadists and terrorists can be deterred? and 2) what role might nuclear weapons and capabilities play in that particular domain of defense? The first section of the paper addresses the deterrence of terrorism, sorting through the various arguments for and against the applicability of deterrence to terrorism. [...]. The second section of the paper examines the objects of a deterrence strategy: non-state and state-sponsored terrorist organizations possessing global reach. [...]. The final section of the paper addresses the use of nuclear weapons as part of a deterrent strategy. While the report finds that certain types of terrorists can be deterred from certain types of attacks, it is less optimistic about the use of nuclear weapons in a terrorist deterrent strategy."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Helfstein, Scott
2008-10-31
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Sunni and Shi'a Terrorism: Differences that Matter
"There are significant and little appreciated differences in the trajectory of Sunni extremist terrorism and that of Shi'a extremism. The differences exist across six key areas that impact American policy considerations [...]. First and foremost, Sunni radicals and Shi'a extremists differ in the overall approach and main objectives for their use of terror. The former tend to operate in a continuous, mid-to-high intensity manner, seeing war against infidels and apostates as a perennial condition featuring overlapping waves. Outside of an ongoing and seemingly open-ended campaign against Israel, terrorist attacks by Shi'a groups have by and large featured discrete terror campaigns tethered to state and organizational objectives. Second, Sunni terrorists and Shi'a extremists manifest different patterns for recruiting terrorist operatives and developing terrorist missions. Shi'a terrorists, unlike their Sunni counterparts, enjoy direct state support and for that reason are far more likely to originate from Iranian embassies, consulates and state-run businesses. Third, despite holding a minority viewpoint within the wider Sunni Islamic community, Sunni extremists, especially Salafi-Jihadis, rely more extensively on the support of their coreligionist expatriate communities in facilitating terrorist activities. Fourth, while employing similar tactics and methods, Shi'a terrorist groups have shown a much greater propensity to kidnap innocents to barter, while Sunni extremists more frequently abduct to kill. Fifth, Shi'a terror groups exhibit a much higher incidence of targeted assassinations for specific political gain, rather than the high-casualty killings featured in Sunni terrorism, and particularly of the Salafi-Jihadist variant. Finally, each sect's extremists manage publicity and propaganda differently."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Lynch, Thomas Francis, 1960-
2008-12-29
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Deadly Vanguards: A Study of al-Qa'ida's Violence Against Muslims
"In a 2007 online forum, al-Qa'ida's second in command Ayman al-Zawahiri, confronted questions about the organization's use of violence and especially violence against Muslims. Zawahiri and other leaders have defended al-Qa'ida's use of violence, arguing that their operations do not kill Muslims, and on the rare occasions they do, such individuals are apostates or martyrs. Since the inception of al-Qa'ida, the organization has claimed to represent Muslim interests around the world declaring itself the vanguard of true Islam, and the defender of Muslim people. Unfortunately for al-Qa'ida, their actions speak louder than their words. The fact is that the vast majority of al-Qa'ida's victims are Muslims: the analysis here shows that only 15% of the fatalities resulting from al-Qa'ida attacks between 2004 and 2008 were Westerners."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
al-Obaidi, Muhammad; Abdullah, Nassir; Helfstein, Scott
2009-12
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Crime and Insurgency in the Tribal Areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan
"Insurgent and terror groups operating in the tribal areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan are deepening their involvement in organized crime, an aspect of the conflict that at once presents enormous challenges and also potential opportunities for Coalition forces trying to implement a population‐centric counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy. Within a realm of poor governance and widespread state corruption, anti‐state actors engage in and protect organized crime--mainly smuggling, extortion and kidnapping--both to raise funds and also to spread fear and insecurity, thus slowing the pace of development and frustrating attempts to extend the rule of law and establish a sustainable licit economy. Militant groups on either side of the frontier function like a broad network of criminal gangs, not just in terms of the activities in which they engage, but also in the way they are organized, how funds flow through their command chains and how they interact--and sometimes fight--with each other. There is no doubt that militant groups have capitalized on certain public grievances, yet their ties to criminal profiteering, along with the growing number of civilian casualties they cause on both sides of the frontier, have simultaneously contributed to a widening sense of anger and frustration among local communities. Through a series of focused and short anecdotal case studies, this paper aims to map out how key groups engage in criminal activity in strategic areas, track how involvement in illicit activity is deepening or changing and illustrate how insurgent and terror groups impose themselves on local communities as they spread to new territory. It is hoped that a closer examination of this phenomenon will reveal opportunities for disrupting the problem, as well as illustrate how Coalition forces, the international community and moderate Muslim leaders might capitalize on an untapped public relations opportunity by better protecting local communities who are the main victims of it."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Peters, Gretchen
2010-10-15
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CTC Sentinel [August 2010]
This issue of the "CTC Sentinel" features an article by Philip Mudd titled, "Evaluating the Al-Qa'ida Threat to the U.S. Homeland," which "looks at the evolution of the threat from 9/11--including the rise of affiliated organizations and independent actors--and the problems faced by al-Qa'ida's central organization in orchestrating attacks in the United States." Other reports in this edition include: "Growing Danger from Radical Islamist Groups in the United States," by Paul Cruickshank; "Manchester, New York and Oslo: Three Centrally Directed Al-Qa'ida Plots," by Raffaello Pantucci; "Lessons Learned from the July 2010 Norwegian Terrorist Plot," by Petter Nesser and Brynjar Lia; "American Journeys to Jihad: U.S. Extremists and Foreign Conflicts During the 1980s and 1990s," by William Rosenau and Sara Daly; and "Tensions Rise Between Hizb-i-Islami and the Taliban in Afghanistan," by Matthew DuPee and Anand Gopal. The publication also features a section highlighting recent terrorist activity.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2010-08
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CTC Sentinel [September 2010]
This issue of the "CTC Sentinel" features an article by Peter Bergen titled, "Reevaluating Al-Qa'ida's Weapons of Mass Destruction Capabilities," which offers a realistic assessment on the likelihood of al-Qa'ida gaining control over a true weapon of mass destruction as opposed to a weapon of mass disruption. Other reports in this edition include: "The Evolving Terrorist Threat in Yemen," by Christopher Boucek; "The U.S.-Pakistan Relationship and Finding an End State in Afghanistan," by Moeed W. Yusuf; "Piracy in the Horn of Africa: A Growing Maritime Security Threat," by Peter Chalk; "Al-Qa'ida's Key Operative: A Profile of Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri," by Seth Nye; and "The Role and Significance of Signature Attacks in the Iraqi Insurgency," by Michael Knights. The publication also features a section highlighting recent terrorist activity.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2010-09
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CTC Sentinel [October 2010]
This issue of the "CTC Sentinel" features an article by Nelly Lahoud titled, "The Strengths and Weaknesses of Jihadist Ideology," which offers an assessment on the future of Jihadism based on an examination of its key features. Other reports in this edition include: "The Role of Lashkar-i-Islam in Pakistan's Khyber Agency," by SYed Manzar Abbas Zaidi; "The Torkham Border Closure and Attacks on NATO Supply Convoys in Paksitan," by Tayyab Ali Shah; "Mitigating the Further Radicalization of India's Muslim Community," by Luv Puri; "From Iraq to Yemen: Al-Qai'da's Shifting Strategies," by Ryan Evans; and "Indonesia's Case Against Abu Bakar Bashir," by Arabinda Acharya and Fatima Astuti. The publication also features a section highlighting recent terrorist activity.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2010-10
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CTC Sentinel [November 2010]
This November 2010 issue of the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel features an article by Barak Barfi title "AQAP's Soft Power Strategy in Yemen," which examines AQAP's (Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula) "tactical strategy" at home. Other articles in this issue include: "Developing Policy Options for the AQAP Threat in Yemen," by Gabriel Koehler-Derrick; "The Role of Non-Violent Islamists in Europe," by Lorenzo Vidino; "The Evolution of Iran's Special Groups in Iraq," Michael Knights; "Fragmentation in the North Caucasus Insurgency," by Christopher Swift; and "Assessing the Success of Leadership Targeting," Austin Long; "Revolution Muslim: Downfall or Respite?" by Aaron Y. Zelin. This edition concludes with a section highlighting recent terrorist activity.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2010-11
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CTC Sentinel [June 2011]
This is the June 2011 edition of the CTC Sentinel published by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point. The featured article is "The Death of Usama bin Ladin: Threat Implications for the U.S. Homeland" by Phillip Mudd. Other articles include the following: "Terrorist Tactics in Pakistan Threaten Nuclear Weapons Safety"; "The Syrian Uprising: Evaluating the Opposition"; "Can Al-Qa'ida Survive Bin Laden's Death? Evaluating Leadership Decapitation"; "Hizb Allah's Position on the Arab Spring"; "Israel, Hizb Allah, and the Shadow of Imad Mughniyyeh"; "The Taliban's Conduct of Intelligence and Counterintelligence." The publication concludes by highlighting recent terrorist activity.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2011-06
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Success, Lethality, and Cell Structure Across the Dimensions of Al Qaeda
"The death of Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011 represents the culmination of a decade long fight to bring the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks to justice. Sustaining the effort needed to arrive at this point is a testament to the resilience of the counterterrorism community and nation, but it subsequently raises a series of questions regarding the future of al-Qa'ida and the violent social movement spawned by bin Laden and fellow entrepreneurial jihadis. It is tempting to view his death as the end of a long struggle, but the violent extremists radicalized and mobilized by al-Qa'ida's global jihadi narrative regard this as the end of the opening act. The terrorist threat that the United States and its allies face today has evolved in the years since September 11. Over that time, experts have engaged in heated debates over al-Qa'ida's strategic center of gravity, with some stressing the importance of central leadership while others emphasize the threat from radicalized individuals unconnected with any formal organization."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Helfstein, Scott; Wright, Dominick
2011-05
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CTC Sentinel [April 2011]
This April 2011 issue of the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel features the following articles "Saudi Arabia Moves to Maintain
Regime Stability" by Toby Craig Jones; "Ayman al-Zawahiri's Reaction to Revolution in the Middle East" by Nelly Lahoud; "How the Arab Spring Could Embolden Extremists" by Philip Mudd; "Are Islamist Extremists Fighting Among Libya's Rebels?" by Alison Pargeter; "Bahrain: Crushing a Challenge to the Royal Family" by Caryle Murphy; "JI Operative Umar Patek Arrested in Pakistan" by Zachary Abuza; "The Implications of Colonel Imam's Murder in Pakistan" by Rahimullah Yusufzai. The issue concludes with highlights of recent terrorist activity.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2011-04
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CTC Sentinel [May 2011 Special Issue: The Death of Usama bin Ladin]
This Special Issue of the May 2011 U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel is devoted to the death of Usama bin Laden and the future of Al-Qa'ida and features the following articles: "Bin Ladin's Death Through the Lens of Al-Qa'ida's Confidential Secretary" by Nelly Lahoud, "Bin Ladin's Killing and its Effect on Al-Qa'ida: What Comes Next?" by Bruce Hoffman, "Bin Ladin's Location Reveals Limits of Liaison Intelligence Relationships" by Charles Faddis, "How Bin Ladin's Death Will Affect Al-Qa'ida's Regional Franchises" by Camille Tawil, "Special Operations Forces and the Raid Against Bin Ladin: Policymaker Considerations in Combating Terrorism" by Michele L. Malvesti & Frances Fragos Townsend, "The Impact of Bin Ladin's Death on AQAP in Yemen" by Gregory D. Johnsen and "The Impact of Bin Ladin's Death on AQIM in North Africa" by Geoff D. Porter. The issue concludes with expert insight from Dell L. Dailey, Elliott Abrams, Frank Taylor, Juan C. Zarate, Mark Kimmitt, Michael F. Walker, Rohan Gunaratna and Thomas W. O'Connell
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2011-05
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CTC Sentinel [January 2011]
This January 2011 issue of the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel features an article by Magnus Ranstorp titled "Terrorist Awakening in Sweden?" which discusses terrorism in Sweden and the December 2010 act of terrorism in Stockholm. Other reports include: "British Universities Continue to Breed Extremists," by James Brandon; "Improving Airline Security in the United States," by Rafi Ron; "Al-Qa'ida's Yemeni Expatriate Faction in Pakistan," by Evan F. Kohlmann; "Understanding Al-Qa'ida's Business Model," by Alex Gallo; and "Disengagement or Deradicalization: A look at Prison Programs for Jailed Terrorists," by Andrew Silke. The issue concludes with highlights of recent terrorist activity.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2011-01
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Militant Ideology Atlas: Research Compendium
"The Militant Ideology Atlas is the CTC's most recent and comprehensive attempt to better understand the ideology driving the Jihadi Movement. The empirically supported findings from this effort are generated by a systematic research methodology and critical analyses of hundreds of al-Qa`ida's most widely-read and influential texts. The wealth of information contained in the Atlas' Research Compendium provides a new generation of scholars and analysts with the data and evidence they need to understand our adversaries and to devise strategies for combating them."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
McCants, William R.
2006-11
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Jihadi after Action Report: SYRIA
"Despite its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in the early 1980s, the Asad regime has had to contend with a rising tide of Islamist activity due, in part, to its pandering to the Sunni religious establishment to shore up its legitimacy. However, the growing appeal of Islamism (the notion that Islam should be the primary source of law and identity in Muslim-dominated countries) has made it more difficult for the Jihadis to attract a large following. This is due to the following factors: (1) the Jihadis' uncompromising puritanism, which makes their ideology religiously repugnant and prevents them from engaging in pragmatic political actions and alliances; (2) the Jihadis' lack of scholarly firepower, which makes it hard for them to stand up to government-sponsored clerics and justify their cause and their violent tactics to the masses; (3) improved security measures in the past year; (4) the infiltration of Jihadi groups by clerics; (5) the influence of Sufism (Islamic mysticism); (6) popular televangelists that preach tolerance and pacifism; (7) the willingness of popular Islamist groups like Hamas and Hizbullah to participate in democratic elections; (8) competing identities, either ethnic (e.g., Kurds), sectarian (e.g., Alawite, Shia, Christian, Druze), or nationalist; and (9) the pull of Western culture, particularly among the youth."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Ulph, Stephen; McCants, William R.
2006
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Stealing Al Qa'ida's Playbook
"The key to defeating the jihadi movement is identifying its strengths and weaknesses so that the former may be countered or co-opted and the latter exploited. In this article we argue that the people who know these strengths and weaknesses best are the jihadis themselves; one just needs to know where (and how) to look for their insights. Jihadi leaders are surprisingly frank when discussing the vulnerabilities of their movement and their strategies for toppling local regimes and undermining the United States. Their candor is, in large part, a consequence of struggles for leadership within the movement; thus, a leader of one group will publish his strategic vision in order to gain more recruits and achieve a reputation as a serious scholar worthy of respect. It is also a consequence of the United States success in destroying jihadi training camps and denying safe havens jihadi leaders have had to put their writings online so as to provide continuing guidance to a very decentralized following. In a sense, members of the jihadi movement have put their team's playbooks online. By mining these texts for their tactical and strategic insights, the United States will be able to craft effective tactics, techniques, and procedures to defeat followers of the movement. In what follows, we will demonstrate the efficacy of this approach by highlighting the insights we have gleaned from the works of four prominent jihadi ideologues."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Brachman, Jarret; McCants, William Faizi, 1975-
2006-02
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Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership
Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States government has significantly enhanced its level of engagement with African governments. There is a growing recognition in Washington policy circles that the social and economic instability plaguing Africa is a strategic concern for the United States. In response, the Department of Defense has collaborated with the Department of State to develop the Trans Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP), which supports African states efforts to improve border security and counterterrorism capacity while also facilitating regional cooperation, promoting democratic governance, and improving relations with the United States.1 BACKGROUND Levels of modernization and development vary enormously among the countries of North Africa and the Sahel.2 Many of the states in this region have stable authoritarian governments while others have been plagued by violence and instability. There are a few fledgling democracies, including Niger. Tribal structures are still the primary political unit in many areas that have never been under the control of a central government. Local authorities have had little success controlling terrorists operating in desert terrain that is extremely difficult to monitor, making this region an excellent example of what the Pentagon calls ungoverned space. The region s economies are fragile, relying on inefficient state owned industries and subsistence agriculture, and they are undermined further by the large volume of black market activity. For some individuals, criminal activity particularly smuggling has been a gateway to direct participation in terrorism Violent extremist groups target unemployed and underemployed young men for recruitment into terrorist organizations. These disenfranchised youth are vulnerable to ideologies that offer simple solutions to their problems and promise great rewards for their participation.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Boudali, Lianne Kennedy
2007-04
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Militant Ideology Atlas: Executive Report
"This report, and its accompanying compendium, is the first systematic mapping of the ideology driving the actions of the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks and other violent actions around the world. Using a robust research methodology and critical analyses of the Jihadis' most widely read texts, the Atlas gives us a highly nuanced map of the major thinkers in the Jihadi Movement and their most salient areas of consensus and disagreement. In short, this report identifies who the most influential people are among the Jihadi thinking class, what they are thinking, and where the movement is most vulnerable ideologically."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
McCants, William R.
2006-11
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Abu al-Layth al-Libi: Jihadi Bios Project
This is the biography of the jihadist Abu al-Layth al-Libi. This biography is part of a series of papers by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point that focus on the study of jihadists. From the Introduction: "In the tradition of post-9/11 senior Arab militant figures operating in Khurasan (the Afghanistan-Pakistan region), there is little doubt as to the standing of Libyan jihadi commander Abu al-Layth al-Libi. If Usama bin Ladin and Ayman al-Zawahiri came to be the most prominent Arab-Afghan leaders in the wake of the so-called 'War on Terror,' these two were largely absent from the field command in Afghanistan and Pakistan, instead confining their role to strategic guidance by defining the parameters of the global jihad. When it came to leading combat on the front lines, it was al-Libi, a longtime leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), who rapidly established himself as the champion of the Arab-Afghan milieu after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. […] This paper draws together the details of al-Libi's rich career, from his early years in militancy in Afghanistan in the late 1980s to his leading duties in the post-9/11 insurgency against Coalition forces and their regional partners. It also situates the slain Libyan commander in the broader spectrum of Arab-Afghan and militant foreigners, outlining the nature of his relationships with a variety of jihadi groups and figures. This profile is mostly based on primary sources, including accounts of jihadis who personally interacted with al-Libi, as well as on materials that contextualize the different stages of his life."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Jackson, Kévin
2015-02?
