What is the optimal strategy for the United States and its allies to pursue in Afghanistan? Observers across the political spectrum agree that military operations alone are not enough to secure Afghanistan against a powerful insurgency linked to global jihadism. There is increasing consensus as well that Pakistan - a refuge for important al-Qaeda figures, and also under attack by insurgents who identify themselves as Taliban - is deeply involved in this conflict. The Afghanistan-Pakistan Theater: Militant Islam, Security and Stability explores vital aspects of the situation the U.S. confronts in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. This collection represents a diversity of political perspectives and policy prescriptions. Nobody believes that the way forward will be easy; there is a pressing need for clear thinking and informed decisions. Contributors include Hassan Abbas, C. Christine Fair, Vanda Felbab-Brown, Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Vanessa Gezari, Sebastian Gorka, Shuja Nawaz, and Joshua T. White.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan Theater: Militant Islam, Security & Stability

Politics & Social Sciences

Gorka, Sebastian

Fair, C. Christine

Nawaz, Shuja

Abbas, Hassan

Gartenstein-Ross, Daveed

Felbab-Brown, Vanda

White, Joshua T.

May, Clifford D.

Gezari, Vanessa

Politics & Government

Foundation for Defense of Democracies

In 2005, Washington supported the decision to hold Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006. Decision-makers trusted polling data that all but guaranteed a victory for the secular Fatah faction over Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. In retrospect, this was a grave error; Hamas won the election by a wide margin. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice later admitted, "It does say something about us not having a good enough pulse." Four years later, amidst a new U.S. drive for Middle East peace, has our ability to gauge Palestinian political sentiment improved? The Foundation for Defense of Democracies commissioned a study, using proprietary software usually deployed on behalf of the U.S. military, to explore the Arabic-language social media websites that are popular among Palestinians. This study reveals the trends, thoughts, and perceptions of Palestinians on a range of issues, with a focus on those that could impact current U.S. policies.

Palestinian Pulse: What Policymakers Can Learn From Palestinian Social Media

Schanzer, Jonathan

Dubowitz, Mark

Following al-Qaeda’s violent campaign against Saudi Arabia in 2003 and 2004, Saudi authorities launched a crackdown on radicalism in the Kingdom. This included tighter controls on terror finance, dismantling al Qaeda’s local cells, monitoring the country’s mosques, and a state-sponsored de-radicalization program designed to combat what Saudi authorities call “deviant” ideologies. But what of the problems associated with internet radicalization? Is Saudi-sponsored radicalization still a problem online? Or has it waned as a result of the Saudi authorities’ efforts? A decade after the September 11 attacks that prompted a deep and protracted crisis in U.S.-Saudi relations, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) commissioned a study to gauge the sentiment, influence, and reach of Saudi clerics on the internet. Facebook Fatwa provides a glimpse of the religious establishment’s online activities during a critical moment in the Middle East.

Facebook Fatwa: Saudi Clerics, Wahhabi Islam and Social Media

Miller, Steven

The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami) is more commonly known as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), or the Pasadran. Sworn by an oath of loyalty to Iran’s Supreme Leader, the IRGC is the regime’s Praetorian Guard, the custodian of its nuclear program, and now a juggernaut in Iran’s economy. Since 1979, the Guards have played a key role in protecting the Revolution internally against domestic opposition while actively seeking to export it abroad. The IRGC has been at the forefront of repression every time ordinary Iranians have protested their lack of freedoms, including after the fraudulent presidential elections of June 2009. Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism abroad is also executed through the IRGC’s overseas operations’ branch, the Qods Forces. In The Pasdaran: Inside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Emanuele Ottolenghi offers a detailed overview of how the IRGC came into being, how the Guards rose to a position of prominence in Iran’s current power structure, how they have penetrated Iran’s economy, how they are working to help Iran attain nuclear weapons, and why they will likely play a key role in Iran for decades to come.

The Pasdaran: Inside Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

History

Ottolenghi, Emanuele

Middle East

The May 2021 conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas generated headlines around the world. However, much of the reporting ignored the history, funding, political dynamics, and other key components of the story. Hamas initiates conflict every few years. But the reporting rarely improves. Social media has only further clouded the picture. Hamas is rarely held responsible for its use of "human shields," blindly firing rockets at civilian areas in Israel, or diverting aid that should benefit the people of Gaza. The Islamic Republic of Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism, has been the primary patron of Hamas since the group's inception in the late 1980s. Hamas has received additional assistance over the years from Qatar, Turkey and Malaysia. These countries are fomenting conflict, while others, such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have tried to minimize it. Gaza is therefore ground zero in a struggle for the future stability of the Middle East. The Biden administration has important choices to make. Its intent to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal could have significant consequences, given that sanctions relief to Iran will likely yield a financial boon for Hamas, along with other Iranian proxies. The Biden administration must also come to terms with "The Squad," a small but loud faction of the Democratic Party that seeks to undermine the US-Israel relationship.

Gaza Conflict 2021

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