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Your search for Islamic State found 21 results.

No Security Without Us

/reports/2014/no-security-without-us

This paper is intended to serve as a primer on the salient aspects of tribalism in Sunni areas of Iraq, with an emphasis on al Anbar province. It provides a brief summary of the nature of modern tribalism, tribal structures and organization, and the role of tribal leadership. It also details important tribal customs designed to inhibit the escalation of violence. The research for this paper was conducted by the author while embedded as a CNA analyst with the U.S. Marine Corps in al Anbar province in 2007, and some of what follows first appeared in a chapter in Deborah Isser’s Customary Justice and the Rule of Law in War Torn Societies. We include this material as part of this occasional paper with permission from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Press Books.

with permission from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Press Books. In recent weeks, Sunni militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)1 have swept across northern Iraq ... between Islamic extremists and al Anbar’s tribes, each must be eyeing the other warily. As was the case during the years of heavy American presence in Iraq, a key to security going forward will be to peel

russian media analysis: Issue 8, January 28, 2022

/our-media/newsletters/russian-media-analysis/issue-8

Russian Perspectives on Western Military Activities

of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, on the state of Russia’s relations with the US and NATO. In the interview, Karaganov also discusses ... propaganda in the form of disinformation campaigns is conducted at the state level and is a component of the ‘systematic deterrence of Russia.’” Separately, an article in Topwar.ru offers perspectives ... movements in the North Caucasus. Fedorov argues that American support in organizing and propagating Islamic extremist movements over the internet has grown in recent years, with the goal of provoking

Gender Insufficiently Integrated in DOD Counterterrorism Approach, Study Shows

/our-media/press-releases/2021/04-27

The Department of Defense (DOD) does not fully recognize or address the roles that women play in terrorist groups and its efforts to counter terrorism and extremist groups would be stronger if it did, a new study from CNA shows.

. As the report explains, women play a wide range of enabling roles, such as recruiting in al-Shabaab, fundraising in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), building social networks in Abu-Sayyaf Group (ASG

Understanding Gender and Violent

/reports/2021/04/understanding-gender-and-violent

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict – Stability and Humanitarian Affairs (OASD (SO/LIC-SHA)) asked CNA to study the role of women and gender in both violent extremist organizations (VEOs) and US counterterrorism (CT) and counter violent extremism (CVE) operations (hereafter CT/CVE). Our research demonstrates that the dominant stereotypes about women’s roles in VEOs miss the vast majority of female activity in these groups and fundamentally fail to capture women’s lived experiences. Despite the passage of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) legislation in the US, we found that internal DOD activities that are truly gender considered are severely limited, lack nuance, and are not institutionalized. External US CT/CVE efforts do not consider the roles men or women play from a nuanced perspective, and they are disproportionately influenced by a set of gender stereotypes that shape expectations of men and women’s roles. Much of the current DOD approach can be traced to misunderstanding gender as a concept. This report provides an analysis of the gaps, risks, and opportunities for the Department of Defense (DOD) on understanding women and gender in extremism, and integrating a gender considered approach to CT/CVE.

Haram, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Lord’s Resistance Army, and Abu Sayyaf Group. Assessed whether current US DOD CT/CVE strategy, policy, and activities incorporate gender considerations

Russia’s Role in the Libyan Civil War

/our-media/indepth/2019/11/russias-role-in-the-libyan-civil-war

Russian state intervention in Libya's civil war has changed significantly in recent months.

and prolonging the conflict, deepening factions and increasing the likelihood of a re-emergent Islamic State. A brief period of optimism followed the 2011 overthrow of longtime strongman Muammar Qaddafi ... and/or oil-revenue disruption would create the conditions for groups such as Islamic State to increase their scope of operations. In 2014 and 2015, Islamic State gained traction in Libya by occupying geographic and social seams. Increased violence, predatory militias and an influx of weaponry could lead to new social, economic and political seams that would be prime areas for Islamic State to recruit from

Weighing the Costs of War and Peace in Afghanistan

/our-media/indepth/2019/04/weighing-the-costs-of-war-and-peace-in-afghanistan

The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad, tweeted that "peace requires agreement on four issues: counter-terrorism assurances, troop withdrawal."

, there would likely still be a requirement for a counter-terrorism mission against the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan (whether conducted by the Americans or Afghans alone), and so it’s ... himself in power as the leader of a new government. The U.S. State Department  subsequently asked  Mohib privately to apologize for his comments, which he apparently refused to do — leading the Trump ... , these include the drag that Afghanistan has become on America’s aims to refocus its strategic and operational attention on state adversaries such as China and Russia. For the latter, they might include some

A Better Approach to Containing Domestic Violent Extremism

/our-media/indepth/2021/07/containing-domestic-violent-extremism

After 20 years of intense focus on jihadist terrorism, U.S. policymakers have raised domestic violent extremism to the top of the counterterrorism agenda.

is the greatly diminished capacity of groups like al-Qaeda and Islamic State to mount or even inspire large-scale attacks against American targets after two decades of relentless U.S. military

Why Pandemics Are National Security Threats

/our-media/indepth/2021/05/why-pandemics-are-national-security-threats

COVID-19 is a nontraditional threat that has affected U.S. national security in both direct and indirect ways.

and an international issue. In the Sahel , VEOs have been attempting to use the pandemic to undermine state authority as governments struggle to respond to the challenge. In the U.S., a neo-Nazi group ... governments struggle to provide. As one report noted, representatives from Tahrir al-Sham, ISIS, and al Qaeda have “ sought to demonstrate the efficacy of an ‘Islamic’ response to coronavirus, heralding

The Blind Swing to Great Power Competition

/our-media/indepth/2020/05/the-blind-swing-to-great-power-competition

The blanket dominance of great power competition as a guiding principle for U.S. foreign policy has emerged with breathtaking speed.

the growth of al-Qaeda and Islamic State alliances in West Africa and the regional threat of al-Shabaab in the east. These security issues, which do not fit neatly into the great powers narrative

Attack on U.S. Forces in Kenya

/our-media/indepth/2020/01/attack-on-u.s.-forces-in-kenya

On January 5, al-Shabaab attacked a Kenyan airstrip used by the U.S. military, killing three Americans

, with 145 strikes under the Trump administration targeting both al-Shabaab and the Islamic State group, killing high-level commanders . These strikes have not successfully diminished al-Shabaab’s ability