Four years after its dramatic territorial collapse, the Islamic State still represents a tangible threat. While the Global Coalition against Daesh is still committed to tackling sleeper cells that stage raids across Syria and Iraq, local affiliates of the transnational jihadist group have opened new fronts in the Sahel and Eastern Africa, as testified by recent attacks in gas-rich Mozambique. In this volatile context, the re-developed Islamic State exploits local disorders, further exacerbated by the pandemic and its socio-economic consequences, to exploit the sense of despair among the population. What do recent events tell us about the latest evolution of the Islamic State? What implications could this resurgence in attacks have on the Coalition’s efforts and international counter-terrorism operations? What possible solutions could be implemented to deal with the changing nature of the ISIS threat?

Panel Discussion

Delina Goxho, PhD candidate, Security Force Assistance and Military Intervention, Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS)

Rida Lyammouri, Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South

Aaron Y. Zelin, Richard Borow Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Chair

Matteo Pugliese, Associate Research Fellow, ISPI