Al-Qaeda in Iraq

August 26, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Why Al Qaeda Released An American Hostage

Earlier today, the news broke that Peter Theo Curtis, an American who had been held hostage in Syria since 2012, has been released by his captors. Coming just days after another American hostage,...

August 15, 2014 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Syria Spillover: The Growing Threat of Terrorism and Sectarianism in the Middle East

Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, and distinguished members of the committee, on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,it is a...

August 1, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn

Ansar al Sharia Ally A Key Figure in Benghazi Security Failures

A key figure in the security failures surrounding the September 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya is fighting alongside members of Ansar al Sharia, which is one of the terrori...

August 1, 2014 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Thomas Joscelyn

Zawahiri’s Revenge

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham -- which has now rebranded itself "the Islamic State" (IS) -- is trying to position itself as the new leader of the global jihadist movement. After being...

July 18, 2014 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The Jihadist Governance Dilemma

Co-authored by Amichai Magen After making astounding territorial gains in its war against the Iraqi government, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – which has refash...

May 28, 2014 | Michael Ledeen

Do We Have To Destroy Radical Islamism In Order To Save Islam?

Is "Islamic democracy" a contradiction in terms, a big fat oxymoron? Years ago, a sympathetic French scholar wrote that Islam was inherently "totalitarian," and Bernard Lewis, when asked by Presi...

March 7, 2014 | FDD Policy Brief |

Saudi Arabia Moves Against the Muslim Brotherhood

Saudi Arabia escalated its campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood today by including the organization on a controversial new list of terrorist movements. This new step comes in the wake of a sim...

February 11, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn

Al Qaeda’s Expansion in Egypt Implications for U.S. Homeland Security

Chairman King, Ranking Member Higgins, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss al Qaeda’s presence in Egypt. The uprisings throughou...

January 14, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Know Your Enemy

In the summer of 2008, Barack Obama, senator and presidential candidate, toured the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Obama had endeared himself to the antiwar left by denouncing President Bush’s d...

January 2, 2014 | Bill Roggio, Thomas Joscelyn

Leader of Group Linked to Al-Qaeda Held in Lebanon: Sources

A Saudi militant who allegedly leads a group linked to al Qaeda which operates throughout the Middle East has been arrested by military authorities in Lebanon, according to ...

November 21, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn

Political, Economic, and Security Situation in Africa

Watch the hearing here. Chairman Kaine, Ranking Member Risch...

November 19, 2013 | FDD Policy Brief |

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades and the Attack on Iran’s Embassy in Beirut

By David Barnett The Abdullah Azzam Brigades (AAB), an al Qaeda-linked group, announced today that its Hussein bin Ali Battalion was responsible for the double suicide attack on...

November 18, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn

A Well-Deserved Terrorist Designation

The State Department announced today that Boko Haram, a prolific terrorist and insurgency group based in...

October 29, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn

Crisis in Syria: Implications for Homeland Security

Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Thompson and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the potential threats to the U.S. emanating out of Syria. Obviously, the sit...

August 21, 2013 | Michael Ledeen |

It’s War, You Idiots

It’s hard to get our minds around the dimensions of the slaughter underway in the Middle East and Africa, and harder still to see that the battlefields of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, S...

July 29, 2013 | Michael Ledeen |

Whither Egypt? Whence Syria? (Wrong Questions)

July 25th was the 70th anniversary of the fall of Mussolini, voted out of office by the Grand Fascist Council, arrested by order of the king, and imprisoned.  At first, Italy remained in the...

July 25, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn

Al Qaeda’s Jailbreaks Fuel the Fight

Al Qaeda’s jailbreaks have been an all too common occurrence in the post-9/11 world. And they have directly fueled the fight. Chances are the massive jailbreak in Iraq this week will cause...

July 18, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Global al Qaeda: Affiliates, Objectives, and Future Challenges

Chairman Poe, Ranking Member Sherman and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the threat posed by al Qaeda. We have been asked to “examine the nature of...

June 3, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn |

See No Evil

During his speech at the National Defense University on May 23, President Obama sought to reassure Americans that they are “safer” because of the administration’s “efforts...

May 22, 2013 | Orde Kittrie FDD Policy Brief |

New Ideas for Cooperatively Preventing WMD Attacks from the Middle East

The danger that weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from the Middle East will be used against the United States or its allies has been heightened by several recent developments.  These develop...