Publication

This brief discusses the implications of the potential growth of support for the Islamic State, and its idea of the creation of an Islamic Caliphate, in the Sahel, East Africa, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The author also examines 1) the factors that are aiding Islamist movements in their efforts to gain support, including economic problems such as high unemployment and political repression; 2) what these factors might show about a change in the security landscape; and 3) the prospects for efforts to defeat groups such as the Islamic State if the grievances of marginalized people across the world are not addressed.