RESEARCH

September 11, 2021

The Road to 9/11 and the Dangers Ahead

Twenty years ago, in the fall of 2001, having already spent years chasing Osama bin Laden, I found myself near Kabul, standing in one of the al-Qaeda leader’s safehouses—or what remained of it. Intense coalition bombardment had reduced the building to rubble. Together with my fellow investigators, I sifted through the remains, looking for evidence that might lead us to the al-Qaeda leader or his lieutenants. Toward the end of our search,…...

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September 10, 2021

Diminished, but not Defeated: The Evolution of al-Qaeda Since September 11, 2001

Over the past twenty years, al-Qaeda has proven to be resilient and adaptive in its efforts to survive the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Twenty years after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, perpetrated by al-Qaeda, the organization looks much different than it did at the time. “We are no longer dealing with the same terrorist threat, or even the same al-Qaeda, as we did on September 11,”…...

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June 28, 2021

Bringing Terrorists to Justice: Prosecuting ISIL War Crimes and Terrorism

In his final briefing to the United Nations Security Council in May 2021, the Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD), Karim A.A. Khan QC, highlighted their finding of “clear and convincing evidence” that ISIL attacks against the Yazidi community in Sinjar constituted genocide; additional details regarding war crimes and incitement to genocide in connection with mass executions at Tikrit…...

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June 17, 2021

Countering Terrorist Financing: Lessons Learned for Tackling Far-Right Terrorism

In a post-9/11 world, the international community has devoted significant attention and resources to countering the financing of terrorist groups. For the most part, over the past twenty years this attention has focused on curbing the financial activities of Salafi- jihadist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS. While the UN’s 1267 Sanctions Committee was founded in 1999, its primary focus was the Taliban. It wasn’t until a_er al-Qaeda’s deadly attack on September 11th…...

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June 17, 2021

Countering Terrorist Narratives & Strategic Communications: Lessons Learned For Tackling Far-Right Terrorism

In the two decades following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the international community has largely focused on countering the terrorist threat posed by groups like al- Qaeda and later, the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), and their respective affiliates around the world. In addition to efforts to degrade the groups and deny them control over territory and resources, policymakers and practitioners also turned to understanding the strategic communications of such groups…...

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