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Terrorist Organizations

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Terrorist organizations have long threatened the security, infrastructure, and citizens of nations and communities throughout the world. Since the early 1970s, RAND has explored the structure and activities of terrorist organizations—most recently ISIS and its offshoots—to understand their motivations, their recruitment and training methods, and why some are more successful than others.

Report
How to Reduce Violent Nonstate Actors' Abilities to Adapt
Violent nonstate actors—terrorist groups, drug trafficking organizations, and others—pose durable and direct threats to U.S. security interests. Why are they so capable of adapting to changes in their environments, and how might the Army detect and mitigate such adaptations before they occur?
Jun 6, 2022
Report
Implications of the Pandemic for Terrorist Interest in Biological Weapons
Some policymakers and analysts have expressed concern that weaknesses in responses to the COVID-19 pandemic will motivate terrorists to seek biological weapons. While the prospect of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda pursuing biological weapons is not zero, it is unlikely, given the difficulties involved and the availability of simpler alternatives.
May 31, 2022

Explore Terrorist Organizations

Blog
Hurricane Dorian, Al Qaeda, Veterans' Health: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap looks at Hurricane Dorian recovery, al Qaeda 18 years after 9/11, veterans' mental health care, and more.
Sep 13, 2019
Blog
Social Manipulation, Boko Haram, Citizen Scientists: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap looks at hostile social manipulation, stopping the next Boko Haram, a citizen-science success story, and more.
Sep 6, 2019
Commentary
Al Qaeda Is Ready to Attack You Again
As al Qaeda continues to evolve, one of the most pressing questions is to what extent the group is still focused on attacking the West. Does the absence of spectacular attacks attributed to al Qaeda since 9/11 represent a lack of capability or merely a shift in priorities?
Sep 5, 2019
Commentary
Counterproductive Counterinsurgency: Is Mozambique Creating the Next Boko Haram?
Despite recent claims of ties to the Islamic State, the threat in Mozambique from the Islamist insurgent group al-Sunnah wa Jamaah appears to be domestic, with scarce evidence of direct ties to international extremist groups. But if the Mozambique government continues to respond in a heavy-handed manner, the threat is likely to grow, with potentially devastating effects for the country and region.
Sep 3, 2019
Blog
Drug Spending, Back to School, Korean Unification: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap looks at illegal drug spending, the problem of waking up early for school, possible paths toward Korean unification, and more.
Aug 23, 2019
Report
What Will Drive the Next Generation of Salafi-Jihadis?
Continued economic stagnation and a high youth unemployment rate, exacerbated by the Muslim youth bulge, could lead to failed expectations and spur radicalization among disenchanted Gen Z Muslims. And this cohort's familiarity with the internet could foreshadow an adaptive, tech-savvy terrorist threat.
Aug 22, 2019
Blog
Gun Policy, Cannabis, ISIS: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap looks at gun policy in America, the cannabis market in Washington state, countering an ISIS comeback, and more.
Aug 9, 2019
News Release
Follow the Money: How the United States Can Counteract the Islamic State's Plans for a Comeback
With the end of its territorial caliphate, the Islamic State will almost certainly attempt a comeback. Such efforts will require money. A new RAND report examines the group as an insurgency and a self-styled caliphate, with a focus on how the group managed its finances, drawing from the literature, the group's documents, and interviews with individuals who lived under the caliphate.
Aug 8, 2019
Report
U.S. Efforts Are Essential to Counter an Islamic State Comeback
The Islamic State can no longer rely on local funding sources as it did when it controlled territory. But as an insurgency, its expenses are far lower. With revenue from criminal activities and the cash it hoarded, the group will survive as a clandestine terrorist movement. Counterfinance, intelligence, and possibly military action will be needed.
Aug 8, 2019
Commentary
The Death of Hamza bin Laden Will Hurt al Qaeda
Hamza bin Laden, the son of al Qaeda's founder and the architect of the 9/11 attacks, is reportedly dead. If true, this is more than just a symbolic loss for the terrorist organization.
Aug 2, 2019
Blog
ISIS, Homelessness, India's Election: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on what can be done about ISIS detainees, a program that helps reduce homelessness, Modi's reelection in India, and more.
Jun 7, 2019
Research Brief
The Growing Need to Focus on Modern Political Warfare
RAND researchers analyzed how political warfare is practiced today and identified ways that the U.S. government, its allies, and its partners can respond to or engage in this type of conflict to achieve U.S. ends and protect U.S. interests.
May 31, 2019
Journal Article
Options for Dealing with ISIS Foreign Fighters Detained in Syria
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are holding thousands of fighters who had joined ISIS's ranks from abroad as well as members of their families. What the world does (or does not do) about them could affect the future stability of the region and the countries from which they came.
May 31, 2019
Commentary
Iran's Network of Fighters in the Middle East Aren't Always Loyal to Iran
Iran's nonstate partners are emerging as central players in the escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, and may be a driver of further escalation. But how involved is Iran with these proxy groups?
May 21, 2019
Commentary
We're Just Beginning to Grasp the Toll of the Islamic State's Archaeological Looting in Syria
During the Islamic State's rise, looted artifacts were said to be a significant source of income for the group. But no one had identified the value, using empirical data and systematic calculations, of the artifacts that were known to exist in Syria's archaeological sites. Until now.
May 15, 2019
Commentary
Baghdadi Resurfaces: What It Means for ISIS's Global Terror Campaign
With last week's release of a video of Abu Bakr Baghdadi, ISIS showed that it's still got some life left—literally. The most important message to take away from the Baghdadi video may be that the Islamic State does not need territory to survive and even thrive.
May 6, 2019
Commentary
Sri Lanka's Easter Attacks: Dismantling Myths to Prevent the Next Attack
On Easter Sunday, suicide bombers hit six locations across Sri Lanka, killing more than 250 people. Even before ISIS claimed responsibility, there was no obvious connection to the quarter-century of violence that afflicted the nation until 2009. It is worth dismantling a few myths that might prevent better preparation for future attacks.
May 6, 2019
Blog
Mueller Report, ISIS Leader, Brexit: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how the Mueller report might affect Russia, the emergence of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, uncertainty over Brexit, and more.
May 3, 2019
Commentary
What the Baghdadi Video Means
For the first time in five years, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the reclusive leader of ISIS, appeared on video. Why did he suddenly feel the need to show his face and speak to his followers? The answer concerns how recent events intersect with ISIS's long-term needs.
Apr 30, 2019
Blog
School Reform, Sanctions, Russian Aggression: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on what educators think about school reform, the devastating impacts of economic sanctions, deterring Russian aggression in the Baltics, and more.
Apr 19, 2019

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RAND Topic:
Terrorist Organizations

Topic Synonyms:
Terrorist Cells;
Terrorists

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