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Post-Caliphate: The Future of the Salafi-Jihadi Movement

(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Bruce Hoffman and Matthew Levitt - Bruce Hoffman: Osama bin Laden was confident that his death would produce thousands more Osamas, and in light of the ongoing global foreign fighter phenomenon, his threat has been realized. Al-Qaeda has been waiting on IS to do much of its work until the time comes to rise again. Reunification between the two groups remains a possibility, given their relatively small ideological differences. Their existing divides are rooted in a clash of egos more than anything else. Matthew Levitt: After the caliphate dissolves, IS operatives will reorganize as insurgents in Anbar, Diyala, and other core areas. In addition, some operatives may head to the group's "provinces." Most importantly, as long as Syria remains an open sore, IS can continue to exist there and use the conflict as a recruiting beacon. More broadly, Islamist radicalization is in hyper drive, and many of the factors that are stimulating it will not be diminished with the fall of IS. Bruce Hoffman directs the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University. Matthew Levitt is former deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the U.S. Treasury Department. This is from their address at the Washington Institute on Oct. 27.
2016-11-02 00:00:00
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