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Facebook Fatwa: Saudi Clerics, Wahhabi Islam and Social Media
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has released the first-ever study of what radical Saudi Wahhabists are preaching to their followers about the United States and non-Muslims on social media sites.
Learn MoreAnalysis & Commentary - Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization
Radicalization and Political Violence
Rolling Stone has published a new article entitled “Everything You’ve Been Told About Radicalization is Wrong.” It is primarily an attack on the NYPD’s study Radicalization in the West... more...
Notes on the Tsarnaevs’ Radicalization
The investigation into the radicalization of the Boston Marathon bombing’s Tsarnaev brothers has only just begun. While the picture of the radicalization of the Tsarnaev... more...
In Boston Terrorism Case, Too Easy to Jump to Conclusions
The fact that both Boston Marathon bombing suspects are now either dead or in custody does not mean that the reporting on the story will be sure to get the story right. more...
Why Boston Isn’t the New Normal
It is an oft-repeated aphorism that because terrorism is designed to frighten us, one of our best defenses is simply not to let it do so. Sometimes, that is difficult in a free and open society such as ours... more...
Why is Ansar al-Sharia Tunisia’s Leader Threatening the Government?
Yesterday, Ansar al-Sharia Tunisia’s fugitive leader Abu Iyad al-Tunisi (Saif-Allah Benahssine) issued a bellicose statement threatening the overthrow of Tunisia’s government if it interfered with AST. more...
Springtime for Salafists
In mid-March, a 19-year-old Tunisian activist named Amina Tyler posted several topless photographs of herself on Facebook. In one pose, the dark-haired Amina is set against a black background, wearing lipstick and eye shadow. more...
Did Tunisia’s Salafi Jihadists Just Announce Their Allegiance to al-Qaeda?
On Friday, Magharebia came out with a report that has already garnered attention among those who follow jihadist militancy. The publication claims that Tunisia’s salafi jihadists have just announced their allegiance (bayat) to al-Qaeda: more...
Ansar al-Sharia Tunisia’s International Connections
Ansar al-Sharia Tunisia (AST) is the most prominent jihadist organisation in Tunisia, sharing al-Qaeda’s worldview, and yet its strategy is currently more focused on dawa (missionary work) than on carrying out violent acts. more...
The Impact of Systemic Factors
In their contribution to a new study on the Arab Uprisings and climate change that has recently received a great deal of attention, David Michel and Mona Yacoubian of the Stimson Center note that much... more...
Uncharitable Organizations
In 1997, employees of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation (AHIF), a Saudi-based charity, were mulling how best to strike a blow against the United States in East Africa. According to the U.S. Treasury Department... more...
The Challenges of Gun Control: Denying Firearms to Terrorists
Following several tragic mass shootings, the U.S. is embroiled in a debate about gun control. The central question for many involved in this debate is, since the right to bear arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment... more...
Homegrown Terror is Real, But You Won’t Find It Online
Homegrown terrorism has become a topic of discussion in both Canada and the United States. A study by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service found that violent extremists in Canada are more often citizens... more...
Where Should Mali’s Militants Be Detained?
During the course of the intervention in Mali led by France and members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), militants from the north will inevitably be captured. more...
Is Algeria’s Kidnapper a ‘Common Criminal?’ Look Again
Following the dramatic hostage raid at the In Amenas gas field in Algeria that left at least 66 dead, there has been a notable groundswell of interest in Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who claimed responsibility as the mastermind of the raid. more...
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Al Qaeda’s Senior Leadership
With recent events in Mali and Algeria, there is a notable uptick in interest in Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). One question commentators are asking is what the relationship is between AQIM... more...
“Send Lone Wolves to Strike Inside of France”
In an article I wrote yesterday for the Globe & Mail, I noted that online jihadists have been inciting attacks against France. One post in this regard, from the Ansar al-Mujahedin Network, was particularly... more...
The War’s in Mali, But the Danger is International
Since France began aerial bombardment of Islamist rebels in Mali last week, the larger worry has shifted from within the beleaguered country’s borders to the wider world. There are concerns not only... more...
Learning From the Soviets: How to Withdraw From Afghanistan
One unique feature of Afghanistan's history, in addition to the ubiquity of foreign invasions that stretch back for 2600 years, is the manner in which one would-be conqueror after another found its position... more...
The Political Prospects of an Open Fuel Standard in Obama’s Second Term
At the beginning of President Obama’s first term, there was reason to believe that an Open Fuel Standard (OFS) could pass within four years. It did not, and now the OFS faces a different political climate... more...
Should We Invade Mali to Stop al-Qaeda? Look at Somalia First
The West is moving toward a military intervention in Mali, somewhat slowly yet entirely deliberately, due to concerns about al-Qaeda’s control of territory there. An October UN Security Council... more...