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Recruitment of Foreign Male and Female Fighters To Jihad

This article is divided into three major sections. Section one deals with the incursion of foreign fighters traveling to Syria and Iraq; section two explores the issue of the recruitment of young girls and women to Jihad. Section three discusses the preemptive strategy of North African countries, especially in Morocco to combat terror. The ‘Islamic Read More >

The Gulf Cooperation Council countries and countering ISIS: threats, policies and challenges

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are being affected by the rise of terrorism and radicalism which in turn has been driven by the creation of ISIS’ state in Iraq and Syria in mid-2014. The group’s presence in Iraq and Syria is inciting many Gulf civilians to travel to Syria to take part in the Read More >

An Opening For Al-Qaeda

Since the Islamic State (IS) made its dramatic military advance in Iraq more than a year ago—capturing Mosul and other key cities and declaring the caliphate’s re-establishment—analysts have been near-unanimous that the group’s emergence has devastated its parent organization, al-Qaeda. Indeed, IS has undermined al-Qaeda’s once-unrivaled position as the standard-bearer of the jihadist movement, outstripping al-Qaeda’s public Read More >

Countering Violent Extremism In The MENA Region

According to the Soufan Group’s latest report, between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign fighters (FFs) had travelled to Syria and Iraq as of December 2015. More than half (16,000) come from the MENA region. Five years after the Arab uprisings, these figures contrast with the commitments made by the governments in the region to establish a Read More >

Islamic State and the Coming Global Confrontation – Book Review

This book analyzes the origins and organizational structure of Islamic State (IS), examining its military triumphs and success in securing new recruits via social media. From its base in Iraq and Syria, IS has spread globally with 17 regional affiliates from Indonesia to Nigeria and sleeper cells in at least 60 countries, capable of atrocities Read More >

Putin at War in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin has jumped from one foreign policy adventure to the next. In 2014, he ordered the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea. Throughout that year,and on into 2015,he over saw a clandestine war in eastern Ukraine, backing Russian proxies there with weapons, fighters, and entire army units. As that war ground down into stalemate,Putin Read More >

The Role of Russia in Syria

The partial Russian military pull-out from Syria announced by President Vladimir Putin on March 14 continues to generate considerable commentary. Three interpretations stand out. The first sees Putin as cutting Russian losses, a view echoed by members of the Syrian opposition who have portrayed the pull-out as the result of its armed resistance, although there Read More >

The Rise of Islamism in Africa

When Hassan al-Turabi, Africa’s leading proponent of political Islam and the man who hosted Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders in Sudan in the 1990s, expresses concern regarding the rise of militant Islam in Africa, the world better pay attention. Interviewed by Yaroslav Trofimov of the Wall Street Journal, Hassan al-Turabi noted that Read More >