| ID | 175588 |
| Title Proper | Toward a New Typology of Sunni Jihad |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | González Mendelejis, Nathan |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | One recurring theme of the immediate post-9/11 environment was that of regional political organizations and violent lone-wolf actors pledging allegiance to Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda group (AQ). Following the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)’s 2014 capture of Mosul, Iraq, many of these loose affiliations began shifting to ISIS. This resulted in a blurring of distinctions between different types of Sunni jihadi organizations, with media commentators and analysts at times referring to groups as “Al Qaeda–like” or “ISIS-affiliated,” despite those groups’ goals and operational scopes being largely disconnected from both AQ and ISIS. This article proposes a new typology of Sunni jihadi groups according to theater of operation, strategy, and geopolitical alignment. This typology offers three categories: global jihad, local jihad, and sectarian jihad. In addition, it identifies four types of operation types that Sunni jihadi groups adopt: (1) core theater attacks, (2) power-projection attacks, (3) local recruitment, and (4) foreign recruitment. The main contribution of this article is its frameworks for improving the quality of the analysis of Sunni jihadi groups. |
| `In' analytical Note | Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Vol. 43, No.10-12; Oct-Dec 2020: p.1064-1085 |
| Journal Source | Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Vol: 43 No 10-12 |
| Key Words | New Typology ; Sunni Jihad |