2018: The Year in Jihadism

Dr. Lorenzo Vidini, the director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, has written a year-in-review article providing a concise and insightful analysis of jihadist activities in 2018. Foremost among his findings, he writes that the number of jihadist attacks plunged in 2018 when compared with previous years in which incidents were on a steady rise. Still, he warns that jihadist threats remain, “which range from isolated fanboys to structured networks” and that “could be potentially ready to activate themselves and carry out attacks.” He further argues that the current situation is reminiscent of 2011, when the death of Osama bin Laden and a lull in terrorist attacks in the West led many to think the jihadist threat was on the decline, if not entirely gone. He points out this assessment was proven wrong in the following years with the emergence of the Islamic State and other terrorist groups. While the potential for the resurgence of existing terrorist groups or the advent of a new organization depends on many factors, including some that are beyond the control of Western policymakers, he advocates that Western audiences learn from the experiences of the last few years to adapt to the current threat and prepare for future challenges. Read the full article at Lawfare.