Publication

This CCTA issue takes stock of the ongoing terrorist violence in the Middle East. The feature articles focus on 1) the expanding Wilayats (territorial claims) system of the so-called Islamic State and its possible impact on global security; 2) the roles of competing terrorist groups in Syria and IS’ strategic exploitation of the instability they cause; 3) the different strategies being pursued by IS and Al Qaeda in Yemen, which permits a comparison of their respective strengths and weaknesses; and 4) the underlying politics behind the Islamic State’s practice of claiming responsibility for terrorist attacks.