Study: Islamic terrorism will never be eradicated completely

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Islamic terrorism will never be eradicated completely, and its threat to the United States is very real.

This is evidenced by the results of the new researchconducted by the American Institute of Peace, dedicated to the origins and evolution of jihadism.

The study was conducted by 20 experts with different political convictions and traces the evolution of Salafism (trends in Islam) from its appearance in the 1970s, mainly under repressive regimes, to the 1990s when its followers turned their attention to the West.

Scientists believe that the only effective solution to the problem of Islamic terrorism is to work with the factors that gave rise to it and continue to fuel it.

These include poverty, unemployment and social inequality. It is these social problems that are important engines of terrorism, forcing the population to turn to religion in search of their solution.

The existing political, military, and interreligious conflicts, along with the military intervention of non-Muslim foreign armies, created the conditions for extremism to fall on the front pages of newspapers all over the world.

“There is a huge and ever-growing number of frustrated and marginalized Sunnis who, in an attempt to solve their problems, are increasingly turning to weapons instead of trusting existing political systems,” says one of study authors Jennifer Caferella.

According to her, as the public discontent grows, the ability of jihadists to recruit new supporters and direct their anger towards violence both against state structures and against Western countries is growing.

Complementary forces

The main part of the study It is dedicated to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, whose final goals, according to the authors, are similar, but the methods differ significantly: ISIL operates forcefully and spontaneously, whereas Al-Qaida is distinguished by a more “strategic and thoughtful” approach.

Al-Qaeda, like ISIS, seeks to create an international caliphate. However, al-Qaeda sees this as more of a long-term goal. It intends to continue to apply its multi-layered approach, taking root at the local level and gaining the trust of the population in many countries,” said Garrett Nada, one of the authors of the study, a specialist at the Center for the Middle East and Africa from the American Institute of Peace.

The more a group meets the interests of the local population, the stronger their union becomes. And although al-Qaeda has lost its key leaders and seems to be in the shadow of the ISIS “caliphate”, the authors of the study emphasize that it has not completely lost its influence. The brutality of ISIL, whose members often kill even Sunnis for violating their hard and fast rules, allows Al-Qaeda to position itself as a more “moderate" alternative.

“ISIS and al-Qaeda are strengthening each other not intentionally, but as a result of their actions, which are aimed at promoting a protective Sunni tradition,” says Jennifer Cafarella.

The authors of the study predict that both groups will continue to evolve both ideologically and strategically. They may not be able to maintain the current level of influence and strength, but they are well adapted to the situation, and the West should in no way be dismissive of them.

The “Islamic state” may prefer to go into the shadows for a while, but only in order to regroup, revive and become stronger than before. And the al-Qaida fantasy, in the opinion of the authors of the document, does not even know the limits.

Scientists also believe that the US needs to reconsider its priorities in the fight against Islamic terrorism.

At the moment, the United States and other Western countries have focused on ISIS, not paying attention to other conflicts in the region, but in fact the people of the Middle East are more concerned about the civil war between the Syrian rebel groups and the government of President Bashar al-Assad, as this may lead to more serious consequences for peace than the terrorist activities of ISIS.

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