Al-Qaeda in Iraq

April 28, 2016 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross |

How the Islamic State’s Propaganda Feeds Into Its Global Expansion Efforts

Co-written by Bridget Moreng and Nathaniel Barr  Even before the dramatic blitzkrieg...

March 24, 2016 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Operation Hemorrhage: The Terror Plans to Wreck the West’s Economy

Every European who flies frequently knows the airport in Zaventem, has spent time in the ticketing area that was strewn with blood, limbs, broken glass, battered luggage and other wreckage. ...

March 17, 2016 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Osama bin Laden’s ‘Bookshelf’ Reveals al Qaeda’s Long Game

When 113 new documents recovered in 2011 during the fatal raid on...

January 13, 2016 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The Islamic State vs. Al-Qaeda: The War Within the Jihadist Movement

Co-authored with Nathaniel Barr and Bridget Moreng The post-Arab Spring period has seen extraordinary growth in the global jihadist movement. In addition to the ...

January 4, 2016 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross |

Fixing How We Fight the Islamic State’s Narrative

Co-authored by Nathaniel Barr  Over the past couple of years, counter-messaging has been driven to the forefront of countering violent extremism (CVE) efforts undertaken by...

January 4, 2016 | David Weinberg |

Wrong Way: The Problem With Al Qaeda Prisoner Swaps

In early December, Qatar mediated the release of t...

November 20, 2015 | Thomas Joscelyn |

The Long War Continues

In many ways, the reaction to the horrific attacks in Paris has been familiar. There were the expressions of solidarity: flowers at French embassies; social media avatars changed from silly selfi...

November 19, 2015 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The Impact of ISIS on the Homeland and Refugee Resettlement

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October 27, 2015 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Radicalization: Social Media and the Rise of Terrorism

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October 6, 2015 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross |

Druze Clues

Co-written by Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi The market for extremism has been so disrupted by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIS) and its penchant for extraordinary...

September 16, 2015 | Clifford D. May |

The Exodus to Europe’s Promised Lands

Hundreds of thousands of migrants are leaving the Middle East, heading to what they see as the promised lands of Europe and, if possible, America. Notice where they are not going. The Or...

September 4, 2015 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Extreme Makeover, Jihadist Edition: Al-Qaeda’s Rebranding Campaign

Since the Islamic State made its dramatic military advance from Syria into Iraq more than a year ago — capturing...

September 2, 2015 | Clifford D. May |

The Deadly Peril in Appeasement

“Appeasement” gets a bad rap but, strictly speaking, the word implies nothing more than an attempt to make peace. If aggrieved adversaries can be pacified by reasonable concessions, w...

July 24, 2015 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Iran Is Working with al Qaeda

On July 21, the Pentagon announced that Muhsin al-Fadhli, an al Qaeda operative who had been wanted for more than a decade, was killed in an airstrike in Syria earlier in the month. Fadhli has be...

July 9, 2015 |

The Gulf Cooperation Council Camp David Summit: Any Results?

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Deutch, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee: thank you on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for the opportunity to testify before...

July 6, 2015 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross |

Islamic State Preys On All Religions, but Groups Not of ‘the Book’ Brutalized

While the Islamic State has committed horrific acts, including beheadings, against Christians and Muslims, analysts say other minority religions that don’t believe in the Bible may face eve...

June 25, 2015 | Thomas Joscelyn

Why Was a Key Benghazi Suspect Free?

On Monday, the Pentagon announced that Ali Ani al Harzi was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Mosul, Iraq. For those who...

June 24, 2015 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Admitting Syrian Refugees: The Intelligence Void and the Escalating Homeland Security Threat

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June 24, 2015 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The Islamic State’s Varying Fortunes in North Africa

The jihadist group that calls itself the Islamic State has increasingly set its sights on expanding into North Africa. The eighth issue of the group’s English-language magazineDabiq...

June 1, 2015 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Sunni Tribes Need Arms and Support to Fight ISIS

While American officials point their fingers at the Iraqi military’s shortcomings, the Islamic State’s recent conquest of Ramadi is a U.S. policy failure. The United States still has...