Skip to page content

Terrorist Organizations

Featured

Terrorist organizations have long threatened the security, infrastructure, and citizens of nations and communities throughout the world. Since the early 1970s, RAND has explored the structure and activities of terrorist organizations—most recently al Qaeda and its offshoots—to understand their motivations, their recruitment and training methods, and why some are more successful than others.

Report

Trends in the Draw of Americans to Foreign Terrorist Organizations from 9/11 to Today

Dec 18, 2018

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been more successful than its predecessor organization, al Qaeda, in drawing Americans to its cause. Americans drawn to ISIL are more likely to be younger, less educated, Caucasian/white or African American/black, and to have been born in the United States.
Report

ISIL's Negative Economic Impacts on Iraq and Syria

Sep 13, 2017

The Islamic State reduced the GDP of cities under its control by 23 percent. The group was able to maintain stable conditions in parts of Mosul and Raqqah, but conditions elsewhere deteriorated under poor governance and an inability to defend its territory from military opposition.

Explore Terrorist Organizations

Commentary

Sri Lanka's Easter Attacks: Dismantling Myths to Prevent the Next Attack

On Easter Sunday, suicide bombers hit six locations across Sri Lanka, killing and wounding hundreds of people. Even before ISIS claimed responsibility, there was no obvious connection to the quarter-century of violence that afflicted the nation until 2009. It is worth dismantling a few myths that might prevent better preparation for similar attacks in the future.

May 6, 2019
Commentary

Baghdadi Resurfaces: What It Means for ISIS's Global Terror Campaign

With last week's release of a video of Abu Bakr Baghdadi, ISIS showed that it's still got some life left—literally. The most important message to take away from the Baghdadi video may be that the Islamic State does not need territory to survive and even thrive.

May 6, 2019
Commentary

What the Baghdadi Video Means

For the first time in five years, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the reclusive leader of ISIS, appeared on video. Why did he suddenly feel the need to show his face and speak to his followers? The answer concerns how recent events intersect with ISIS's long-term needs.

Apr 30, 2019
Report

Terrorist Use of Cryptocurrencies

Counterterrorism finance strategies have reduced terrorist access to official currencies. Will terrorist groups therefore increase their use of digital cryptocurrencies? New ones have emerged, including some that claim to be more private and secure than Bitcoin, but they also have limitations that make them less viable.

Mar 27, 2019
Commentary

How Terrorist Groups Learn: Implications for al Qaeda

With the Islamic State losing the last of its territory, the global jihadist movement is now entering a new phase. The question on the minds of many is whether al Qaeda will be able to capitalize upon the moment and reclaim the dominant position as the most capable Sunni jihadist terrorist organization.

Mar 14, 2019
Commentary

Trump's Latest Move on Afghanistan Is a Repeat of Obama's

So far, both Presidents Obama and Trump have chosen “not to lose” in Afghanistan. As time goes on and the American public's patience grows shorter, this choice becomes more difficult.

Mar 11, 2019
Multimedia

Strategic Rethink: America's Security Deficit

The global security landscape is shifting dramatically. How can the United States protect itself in today's tumultuous world? This video provides an overview of findings from the second volume in RAND's Strategic Rethink series, which recommends a suite of options that could help policymakers ensure that resources remain aligned with strategic demands.

Mar 7, 2019
Commentary

Leaving ISIS Detainees in the Desert Doesn't Serve U.S. Interests

Leaving ISIS detainees in the desert may sound like an apt punishment, but it's dangerous. Repatriation and prosecution could help ensure ISIS volunteers don't scatter to other jihadist fronts.

Mar 5, 2019
Commentary

To Ensure Deradicalisation Programmes Are Effective, Better Evaluation Practices Must First Be Implemented

Given the increasing number of ISIS foreign fighters seeking re-entry into the UK, a better understanding of deradicalisation programs is essential. More robust and transparent evaluation processes for intervention programmes should be implemented before confidence in their effectiveness can be established.

Mar 4, 2019
Commentary

Don't Rush Into Afghan Peace

The Trump administration has reportedly offered to withdraw forces from Afghanistan if the Taliban stops fighting and opens negotiations with the government. If the Taliban agrees to a cease-fire and wider negotiations, it will be an accomplishment to celebrate. But it will be only the first step on a long and difficult road to peace.

Mar 1, 2019
Commentary

Terrorists on the Border and Government Secrecy

Detailed information on how many would-be terrorists may have sought to cross the southern border is being withheld on the grounds that it is sensitive. The refusal of officials to offer a fuller explanation of the numbers illustrates how the continued expansion of secrecy in government is damaging the ability of the public to assess the risk and evaluate the response.

Feb 13, 2019
Commentary

Hezbollah Is in Venezuela to Stay

Whatever the benefits of replacing the current Venezuelan regime with Washington's preferred alternative, Juan Guaidó, there's reason to doubt that it would change the country's problematic relationship with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is well-entrenched in Venezuela, where it has established a vast infrastructure for its criminal activities.

Feb 11, 2019
News Release

News Release

Middle Eastern Communities Can Resist Sectarianism

Middle Eastern communities are generally resilient to the worst sectarian impulses and even communities that experience sectarian strife can recover from it. Indeed, at least at the local level, communities can resist the slide toward sectarianism and promote resilience and cross-sectarian cooperation.

Jan 14, 2019
Research Brief

Middle Eastern Communities Can Resist Sectarianism

Sectarian violence in the Middle East has been destructive, but it is still the exception rather than the norm. Communities are generally resilient to the worst sectarian impulses. Lessons from Lebanon, Bahrain, Syria, and Iraq show that there are a range of actions that can curb sectarianism.

Jan 13, 2019
Report

Countering Sectarianism in the Middle East

Scholars and policymakers have sought to understand what drives sectarianism in the Middle East and its relationship to multiple conflicts. Far less attention has been focused on how communities inoculate themselves from sectarianism or recover from it.

Jan 13, 2019
Commentary

America's Absence Could Be Syria's New Nightmare

President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria reverses his administration's recent policy of retaining them as long as Iranian troops stay. U.S. withdrawal would give Bashar al-Assad, Iran, and Russia freer rein to subdue opposition forces. And Assad could feel emboldened to act with greater impunity and brutality.

Jan 10, 2019
Commentary

Confusion Over the U.S. Withdrawal from Syria

Washington's strategy in Syria has been to impose costs on the Syrian government by diplomatic ostracism and economic sanctions. This punitive approach is morally satisfying and politically expedient, but as a practical matter it just helps perpetuate the conflict and sustain Assad's dependency on Iran.

Jan 9, 2019
Commentary

Withdrawing from Syria Leaves a Vacuum That Iran Will Fill

President Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from Syria may be unintentionally signaling that the United States is unwilling to compete in critical geopolitical hotspots. Such a message could embolden powerful states—including Iran—to expand their presence.

Jan 8, 2019
Commentary

The United States Can't Rely on Turkey to Defeat ISIS

Relying on Turkey to shoulder the burden of countering the Islamic State will provide the terrorist group with an opportunity to revive itself at a critical stage in the fight. Turkey's main focus is on the Kurds and Erdogan's opposition. Eradicating the Islamic State is a secondary priority that has often been ignored.

Jan 2, 2019
Blog

Most Popular RAND Blog Commentary of 2018

RAND experts publish hundreds of pieces of RAND Blog commentary every year, weighing in on pressing policy questions, breaking down current events, and untangling complex trends. To look back on some of the policy stories that defined the year, we've rounded up the RAND Blog pieces that resonated most with rand.org visitors.

Dec 20, 2018

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next

RAND Topic:
Terrorist Organizations

Topic Synonyms:
Terrorist Cells;
Terrorists

Research conducted by