Jihadism in the West: Current Trends

Summary

The Program on Extremism at The George Washington University and the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE) hosted an event to explore current trends surrounding jihadism in the West. The current threat environment is multifaceted, constantly evolving, and challenging for Western governments to manage. Despite the deaths of both the Islamic State and al-Qaeda’s top leaders this year, their global networks of affiliates from Afghanistan to Somalia to West Africa and beyond remain resilient. As practitioners, policymakers, and researchers continue to grapple with the fallout from the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate, these networks continue to wreak havoc on local environments, as well as incite and inspire jihadist supporters in the West. Our panel of experts sought to address these challenging dynamics.