Publication

This backgrounder examines America’s grand strategic objectives and how they’re complicated by the threats posed by groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda. The complications, in turn, trigger certain requirements, including 1) nuanced assessments of the structure, methods and objectives of enemy groups such as al Qaeda, ISIS, Salafi-jihad, and Jabhat al Nusra; 2) a working definition of what ‘protecting the homeland’ means; 3) a suitably clear end state for the fight against terrorism; and 4) a counter-ISIS/al Qaeda strategy that accounts for the interests of Russia and Iran.