RESEARCH

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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June 03, 2021

Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Southeast Asia: Emerging Trends and Dynamics

In the last three years, Indonesia and the southern Philippines have seen something new: women carrying out suicide bombings – some with their husbands, some with their children, and some avenging slain husbands – targeting churchgoers, police officers, and soldiers.1 In Malaysia, during the May 2018 general election, a 51-year-old housewife planned to use a car filled with gas canisters and explosives to mow down voters at a polling station, raising the…...

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