Geopolitical crises and jihadist terrorism: case studies

In recent years, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, the two main jihadist organizations, the ones that will be taken as study examples in this analysis, have been weakened and have suffered setbacks in several areas, but the threat derived from their operations has remained unchanged and essentially underestimated. Jihadist ideology and activity have far from disappeared, as jihadist groups have only repositioned and reorganized themselves and continue to exploit the lack of political, economic, and social progress, sectarian hostilities, geopolitical crises and various conflicts, the destabilizing effects of which make the jihadist cause thrive. There is always a connection, then, between geopolitical crises and conflicts and the spread or expansion of jihadist terrorism, which exploits each event instrumentally to increase areas of operation and recruitment. The Taliban victory in Afghanistan, for example, was just yet another confirmation, exploited instrumentally and assiduously by propaganda, for the jihadist movement not to surrender and continue the armed struggle.