The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization) (2024)

356 Results

• Report Aug 9, 2023 The Prisoner Dilemma: Policy Options to Address Circ*mstances of ISIS Prisoners in Northeastern Syria RAND researchers hosted a subject-matter expert workshop to determine proposed courses of action to reduce security threats from and meet international standards for prisons holding presumed former Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters.
• Report Mar 9, 2023 In the Wreckage of ISIS: An Examination of Challenges Confronting Detained and Displaced Populations in Northeastern Syria The authors examine the humanitarian and security conditions in two Syrian camps for internally displaced persons: al-Hol and Roj. They address concerns about radicalization and highlight challenges in returning displaced residents to their homes.
• Commentary Jan 25, 2023 Appreciating U.S. Ground Force Contributions to Operation Inherent Resolve Defeating ISIS hinged on a ground fight, requiring the grueling liberation of territory kilometer by kilometer. While Iraqi forces bore the brunt of frontline fighting, U.S. forces were also engaged in on-the-ground combat operations that hastened the defeat of ISIS. Appreciating such contributions will be necessary to distill the right lessons so that we might correctly apply them to future irregular warfare.
• Report Oct 17, 2022 Operation Inherent Resolve: U.S. Ground Force Contributions This report, which outlines four battles within Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) and reviews U.S. ground force contributions to those battles, is intended to address gaps both in analysis and in the common understanding of OIR.
• Multimedia Sep 13, 2022 Book Discussion with National Security Correspondent Michael Gordon The RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy hosted a book discussion featuring Michael Gordon, a national security correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. Gordon and a panel of Middle East experts discussed his new book, "Degrade and Destroy."
• Report May 11, 2022 Road to Damascus: The Russian Air Campaign in Syria, 2015 to 2018 The authors review the chronology of Russian air operations in Syria, and assess the strategic and operational blueprint, basing strategy and force disposition, effectiveness of the Russian air campaign, and its applicability to future campaigns.
• News Release Mar 31, 2022 Efforts to Avoid Civilian Casualties in Raqqa, Syria, in 2017 Were Considerable but Insufficient U.S. strategic choices in the battle to liberate Raqqa, Syria, from ISIS in 2017 likely increased civilian harm despite considerable efforts to avoid civilian casualties by both U.S. and coalition forces.
• Report Mar 31, 2022 Understanding Civilian Harm in Raqqa and Its Implications for Future Conflicts In this report, RAND researchers study the causes of civilian harm in the 2017 battle for Raqqa, Syria, and provide insights into how the U.S. Department of Defense can reduce civilian harm in future operations.
• Journal Article Feb 25, 2022 Scenarios of Transnational Islamist Terrorism. Trends and Developments: A Fact-Based Threat Assessment Some scholars have speculated that the current religious wave of terrorism, epitomized by the global jihadist movement, might finally be starting to ebb. But the movement could very well roar back to life.
• Multimedia Jul 8, 2021 3:26 Violent Extremism in America: Can It Be Stopped? Co-authors of the RAND report, Violent Extremism in America, discuss the findings from their interviews with former members of radical organizations. They identify pathways to radicalization and propose methods for preventing the radicalization of individuals and for deradicalizing those already in extremist organizations.
• Research Brief Jun 25, 2021 What Do Former Extremists and Their Families Say About Radicalization and Deradicalization in America? Violent extremism is an evolving, ongoing threat in the United States. This project describes personal accounts of white supremacists, Islamic extremists, and their family members about joining extremist groups and, in some cases, deradicalizing.
• News Release Apr 2, 2021 Interviews with Former Extremists Reveal Multiple Paths to Developing Extreme Ideologies; Rejection of Extremism Often Aided by Friends and Groups People who radicalize to extremist ideologies often are triggered by negative life events or exposure to propaganda, and those who escape from extreme groups frequently are aided by an individual or group that intervenes to help them reject the philosophy.
• Report Apr 1, 2021 Violent Extremism in America: Interviews with Former Extremists and Their Families on Radicalization and Deradicalization Terrorism and ideologically inspired violence are persistent and serious threats to U.S. national security. This report uses interviews to explore why and how 32 individuals joined extremist organizations and how some of them exited these groups.
• Research Brief Feb 12, 2021 The Role of U.S. Airpower in Defeating ISIS The United States used airpower in Syria and Iraq to halt ISIS's momentum and help defeat the organization, without committing a large number of ground forces.
• Report Feb 5, 2021 The Air War Against the Islamic State: The Role of Airpower in Operation Inherent Resolve Airpower played a pivotal role in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State from 2014 to 2019 and contributed to the success of Operation Inherent Resolve, but airpower alone would not have been likely to defeat the militant organization.
• News Release Jan 22, 2021 Interest in a U.S. Grand Strategy of Restraint May Be Growing, So Advocates Need to Provide More Details As the Biden Administration takes over, some U.S. policymakers have expressed interest in a new approach to America's role in the world: a realist grand strategy of restraint under which the U.S. would cooperate more with other powers, reduce its forward military presence and end or renegotiate some security commitments.
• Report Jan 21, 2021 Implementing Restraint: Changes in U.S. Regional Security Policies to Operationalize a Realist Grand Strategy of Restraint Under a realist grand strategy of restraint, the United States would cooperate more with other powers, reduce its forward military presence, and end some security commitments. The authors identify unanswered questions about such a strategy.
• Journal Article Oct 23, 2020 Social Media and Influence Operations Technologies: Implications for Great Power Competition Russia, China, and the so-called Islamic State are three key U.S. adversaries that have exploited online technologies for propaganda. This chapter reviews the aims, capabilities, and limitations of online propaganda for each of these entities.
• Commentary Sep 14, 2020 The Islamic State in Afghanistan Is Down, but Not Out The Afghan Taliban is on the verge of entering into a power-sharing agreement with the Afghan government in a peace deal facilitated by the United States. Washington seems to be holding out hope that the deal will stabilize the country. But the Islamic State Khorasan Province remains a concern. The Islamic State in Afghanistan may be down, but it's not out.
• Report Sep 8, 2020 Stabilizing Eastern Syria After ISIS The authors assessed humanitarian needs in Eastern Syria's Middle Euphrates River Valley and examined how locally focused stabilization efforts might be orchestrated to help preclude the Islamic State's recapture of territory.
• Commentary Jun 5, 2020 Repression in Mozambique Is Stoking an Islamist Insurgency, Risking Wider Unrest While Southern Africa has largely remained immune from violent extremism, the situation in northern Mozambique threatens to destabilize the country and could potentially spread to other parts of the region. To effectively counter the growing threat, the government could devise a less heavy handed approach.
• Commentary May 19, 2020 Weighing U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Iraq: Strategic Risks and Recommendations Supporting a stable and friendly Iraq is in the long-term interest of the United States, and this requires maintaining a small force of military advisers to help train and develop Iraqi military capabilities so that Iraq can defend itself.
• Commentary Apr 14, 2020 An Enduring American Commitment in Iraq: Shaping a Long-Term Strategy with Iraqi Army Partners The author of this Perspective argues that the United States should make a full and enduring commitment to Iraq by providing robust, long-term assistance to the Iraqi Army.
• Commentary Jan 6, 2020 Iraq's Vote to Expel U.S. Troops Is Iran's True Victory If American soldiers are ejected from Iraq, the consequences may be far-reaching and damaging to U.S. strategic interests. What options remain to reset the relationship between Washington and Baghdad?