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Al-Qa`ida’s Soon-To-Be Third Emir? A Profile of Saif al-`Adl

Abstract: With the confirmed deaths of Hamza bin Ladin and Abu Muhammad al-Masri, as well as the reported (but as yet unconfirmed) demise of al-Qaida’s second emir, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the likely next in line to inherit the leadership is an Egyptian who goes by the nom de guerre Saif al-Adl. …

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China’s Counterterrorism Inroads in Central Asia

China has made inroads in Central Asia to secure economic, energy, and security interests, bringing with it a host of consequences for the region. China influences regional security through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). China’s security footprint in Central Asia continues to expand, growing …

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As Right-Wing Extremism Rises, Jihadism Still Persists

Six separate terrorist attacks took place in Europe between late September and late November of last year—three in France, and one each in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. All six attacks were inspired by Salafi-jihadist ideology, which is, and will remain, a persistent terrorism threat to Europe and elsewhere in the …

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Experts studied al-Qaeda and Isis for years, now they are turning their attention to extremists closer to home

In the years after the 11 September terror attacks, national security strategy in the US came to be dominated by an almost singular focus on Islamist extremism. Efforts to counter the threat of jihadist violence created a cottage industry of experts and researchers whose attention was similarly focused in one …

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The Future of QAnon: Fringe Conspiracy or Acute Security Threat?

The QAnon conspiracy theory-based movement appears to have fractured following the inauguration of President Biden on January 20, 2021. There are efforts being made by a range of violent non-state actors to recruit disaffected QAnon members into their orbit.

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Russia and Europe: the Current Impasse and the Way Out

Russia and the European Union need to imagine a more realistic goal for their relationship: a model of neighborliness, in which the inevitable disagreements will be managed in order to prevent disruptive conflicts and damaging collisions.

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The Kurdish Dream Of A State – Analysis

The Kurds are often considered to be the largest ethnic group without a territorial boundary of a State. Today, the Kurdish population is dispersed unevenly across countries like Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria mainly. A part of the Kurdish population is also spread across Trans Caucasus and Central Asia. There …

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Where Are Russia’s Red Lines on Iran’s Nuclear Brinkmanship?

As was the case in 2006 and 2010, perceptions of Iranian intransigence in the face of constructive Western overtures—which may well be forthcoming under the Biden administration—could lead to a hardening of Russia’s stance, which is ultimately underpinned by concerns of nonproliferation and the integrity of the P5+1 process. Almost …

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Japan renews claim on South Korea-held island

Japan renewed its claim on a contested island in the Sea of Japan held by South Korea at an annual event Monday, escalating tensions between the neighbors whose relations were already strained over Seoul’s demands for compensation for Japanese actions in World War II.

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