Is the War on Terror Over? Not Yet.
The War on Terror, whatever Washington chooses to call it, is far from over. To be sure, al Qaeda’s operational capabilities have been degraded. Its once easily accessible training camps in Afghanistan have been dispersed. Its terrorist networks have been largely dismantled. Its leadership has been decimated by arrests and drone strikes. Its sinews of […]
Report: Homegrown Terrorists Are Scrubs
By Adam Rawnsley The prospect of homegrown terrorists keep U.S. security officials up at night. But although more homegrown jihadis have popped up lately, the so-called “lone wolves” aren’t always as solitary as officials fear; their plotting is amateurish; and they’re a meager fraction of America’s Muslim communities. To put it bluntly, these are the […]
Al Queda in Its Third Decade
Irreversible Decline or Imminent Victory? Download the eBook here. Summary In the minds of most Americans, al Qaeda descended from the heavens in Wagnerian-opera fashion, on September 11, 2011, putting the organization today at the beginning of its second decade. But al Qaeda was formally established in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1988. It claims connection with […]
Stray Dogs and Virtual Armies
Radicalization and Recruitment to Jihadist Terrorism in the United States Since 9/11 The evidence suggests that al Qaeda, although weakened, remains as intent as ever on its worldwide terrorist campaign. But it faces a more difficult and dangerous operating environment than it did 10 years ago and has necessarily changed its approach. Instead of conducting […]
The 10th Anniversary of 9/11
Los Angeles, CA – Wednesday, August 31, 2011 – In commemoration of the upcoming 10-year anniversary of 9-11, Town Hall Los Angeles is proud to be a community partner with the RAND Corporation in presenting Brian Michael Jenkins, coeditor of the recent RAND study “The Long Shadow of 9/11: America’s Response to Terrorism,” on Thursday, […]
The Long Shadow of 9/11: America’s Response to Terrorism
Brian Michael Jenkins and John Godges, eds., RAND Corporation (MG-1107), 2011 This book provides a multifaceted array of answers to the question, In the ten years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, how has America responded? In a series of essays, RAND authors lend a farsighted perspective to the national dialogue on 9/11’s legacy. The essays assess […]
The Land of the Fearful, or the Home of the Brave
Interviews with a selection of RAND’s leading experts offer a distinctively farsighted perspective to the national dialogue on 9/11’s legacy. Their insights assess the military, political, fiscal, social, cultural, psychological, and even moral implications of U.S. policymaking since 9/11.
Al-Qaeda After Bin Laden
The death of Osama bin Laden will have sent remaining al Qaeda leaders diving for cover. Drone strikes already have decimated their number. Bin Laden’s death represents a major breach of security. His lieutenants must worry that documents captured at his hideout will lead the Americans to them, or that Pakistan, embarrassed by al Qaeda’s […]
Pat Morrison asks Brian Michael Jenkins: Risky Business
Back when Brian Michael Jenkins first turned his attention to the topic of terrorism, the term of art was “urban guerrillas.” Radicals of the right and the left, and those who imported foreign quarrels to these shores, were setting off dozens of bombs each year in this country, with far more domestic casualties than the […]
Our Foes Cannot Destroy This Nation
I am traveling in India now where concerns are high about the possibility that foreign or homegrown terrorists may attack the country during next week’s Commonwealth Games. Such concerns are understandable where in the past decade, jihadist fanatics have attacked India’s Parliament, blown up trains, and, less than two years ago, launched a three-day suicide […]
Transitions in Global Terrorism – Excerpt I
Brian Jenkins, Senior Advisor to the president of the RAND Corp. and an authority on terrorism, addresses “Transitions in Global Terrorism: what kind of threats do we face today?” in Brussels on June 17, 2010. This conference was organized by the Rand Corp. in collaboration with the U.S. Mission to the EU. The RAND Corporation is […]
Would-be Warriors: Incidents of Jihadist Terrorist Radicalization in the United States since September 11, 2001
This paper examines the extent of jihadist radicalization in the United States, discusses who is being recruited, and assesses the domestic terrorist threat posed by the recruits. It then looks at how the recruits were identified by U.S. authorities and asks what this means for domestic counterterrorist strategy. The findings should be of interest to […]
Denying Homegrown Terrorists the Glory
How should the United States counter homegrown jihadist terrorism? With al Qaeda and its jihadist allies extolling the exploits of Major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, and even failed attempts like that of would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shehzad, we must anticipate further attacks by terrorists who have been recruited […]
Jihadist Threat Keeps Evolving
The attempted attack in Times Square has less to do with blowback, more to do with the jihadists’ current situation. U.S. counter-terrorist efforts have reduced al Qaeda central’s ability to launch terrorist operations worldwide, and have managed to thwart most domestic attempts like this one, but the jihadists remain determined and authorities will never be […]
Still a Long Way to Go
Although al Qaeda appears to be coming under pressure in some dimensions, I remain wary of calling a tipping point, and I am even more skeptical about the prospect of a knockout punch. We are still too close to the events to discern the long-term trajectory of the campaign against al Qaeda. And almost nine […]
How Russia Can and Can’t Help Obama
In hindsight, KGB analysts and Soviet officials were extraordinarily prescient about the perils of Islamist terrorism and the fallout from the Afghan jihad. But could Russia, for all its faults and foibles, be a more valuable counterterrorism partner today? U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent diplomatic effort to push past differences between the United States and […]
Who Has the Will to Fight Piracy?
The recent French and American rescues of hostages held by pirates off the coast of Somalia were necessary and proper. No one believes these actions will end piracy. But unless we impose risks on the pirates–which means taking some risks ourselves–piracy will certainly flourish. What more can be done? First, it is important to correctly […]
The Torture Debate, Redux
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been insisting again that the coercive interrogation techniques used against terrorism detainees after 9/11 prevented attacks on the United States. Protecting American security is “a tough, mean, dirty, nasty business,” Cheney told Politico.com. “These are evil people. And we’re not going to win this fight by turning the other […]
Mexico’s Corruption
“Only On The Web:” Brian Michael Jenkins with the Rand Corporation speaks with Bill Whitaker about corruption in Mexico.
After Words with Brian Jenkins
Brian Michael Jenkins talked about his book Will Terrorists Go Nuclear? (Prometheus Books; September 23, 2008). He discussed the likelihood of terrorists developing or acquiring nuclear weapons and using them. The guest interviewer was P.J. Crowley, senior fellow and director of Homeland Security at the Center for American Progress. Brian Michael Jenkins is a senior adviser to […]
Will Terrorists Go Nuclear
Will Terrorists Go Nuclear (2008, Prometheus Books) Download the eBook here. Seven years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Americans continue to be concerned that far worse is yet to come. According to a Harris Poll, two out of five Americans think it likely that terrorists will detonate a nuclear bomb in an American city within […]
Unconquerable Nation: Knowing Our Enemy, Strengthening Ourselves
Download the eBook here. Brian Michael Jenkins presents a clear-sighted and sobering analysis of where we are today in the struggle against terrorism. Jenkins, an internationally renowned authority on terrorism, distills the jihadists’ operational code and suggests how they might assess their situation very differently from how we might do so. He distills the jihadists’ […]
Countering al Qaeda: An Appreciation of the Situation and Suggestions for Strategy
Download the eBook here. Having achieved its initial goals in the war on terrorism, the United States is now in a second, more complex phase of the campaign. This monograph reviews events since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and discusses the current state of the al Qaeda organization and the kinds of actions that […]
Terrorism: Special Studies 1975-1985
Read the original publication here.