The Jihadist Threat Has Evolved. Our Strategy Must, Too.

A member of the Islamic Jihad group holds his weapon as Israeli hostages are escorted to be handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 30, 2025. AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana

Commentary

Nearly a decade after ISIS shocked the world with its brutal caliphate in Syria and Iraq, policymakers have moved on. The global spotlight has shifted toward great-power rivalries, artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Yet in the shadows, jihadist terrorism is mutating—and the West is increasingly unprepared.