Strategy, History, & Goals

Ends, ways, and means. Terrorist organizations are familiar with these concepts and the development of strategy too. Over the course of our history the CTC has studied and released reports and articles about terrorist goals and strategy. Browse the content below to learn more.

September 8, 2025

The Global State of al-Qa`ida 24 Years After 9/11

Colin Clarke, Clara Broekaert

August 20, 2025

Understanding China’s New Counterterrorism Ambitions in Africa

Jason Warner

Tehran’s Homeland Option: Terror Pathways for Iran to Strike in the United States

Matthew Levitt

July 24, 2025

The Escalation of U.S. Airstrikes in Somalia and the Role of Perceived Threats to the U.S. Homeland

David Sterman

June 26, 2025

Generation Jihad: The Profile and Modus Operandi of Minors Involved in Recent Islamist Terror Plots in Europe

Erik Hacker

Feature Commentary: An Assessment of Operation Rough Rider

Gregory Johnsen

May 30, 2025

Leaders, Fighters, and Suicide Attackers: Insights on TTP Militant Mobility Through Commemorative Records, 2006-2025

Saif Tahir, Amira Jadoon

Hurras al-Din: The Rise, Fall, and Dissolution of al-Qa`ida’s Loyalist Group in Syria

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

Somalia at a Crossroads: Resurgent Insurgents, Fragmented Politics, and the Uncertain Future of AUSSOM

Daisy Muibu, Yayedior Mbengue

April 30, 2025

The Baloch Insurgency in Pakistan: Evolution, Tactics, and Regional Security Implications

Ayush Verma, Imtiaz Baloch, Riccardo Valle