Latest Terrorism Monitor Articles

How Significant is Syria’s Role in Iraq?

When U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns arrived in Damascus on September 11 to discuss the continuing infiltration of terrorist operatives from Syria into Iraq with President Bashar Assad, he found the country's obstinate young ruler to be almost exuberantly cooperative. Assad's sudden change... MORE

Syria, the U.S. and Terrorism

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Israel was not alone in the Middle East in trying to tie its wagon to the Bush administration's ensuing war on terrorism. Syria, too, sought to underline its own hostility to militant Islam, reminding Washington that it had... MORE

The New Face of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan

The September 26 death of Amjad Farooqi, Pakistan's most wanted terrorist, reveals the new face of terrorism taking shape in the backwoods of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Killed after a five-hour gun battle with security forces in Sindh, Pakistan, Farooqi had a bounty of Rs 20... MORE

Financing Terror: An Overview

Terrorism financing is widely acknowledged to be an essential component of terrorist activity. Accordingly, and especially after 9/11, combating the financing of terrorism was deemed to merit its own specialization and was subsequently elevated to the level previously reserved for the combating of money laundering.... MORE

Drugs and the Financing of Terrorism

The financing of terrorism through illicit drug trafficking has been touted as a major problem since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Indeed, during the last decade, Afghanistan has been the most important opium producing country in the world. It was under Taliban rule... MORE

Wahhabism and al-Qaeda in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Nine years have passed since the imposition of the Dayton Agreement on war torn Bosnia-Herzegovina. While Dayton facilitated the end of fighting between Serb, Croat, and Bosnian republican forces - the latter typically referred to in global media as "Muslim militia" - it also left... MORE

Editor’s Note On East Asia

In the case of East Asia, some countries -- like China -- have been skilled at adapting the war on terror to their own national security priorities. For others -- such as Indonesia and Japan -- the specter of transnational terrorism as represented by al... MORE

Viktor Bout: From International Outlaw to Valued Partner

Viktor Vasilevich Bout, one of the world's most notorious arms merchants with proven links to the Taliban, has become a valued partner of the U.S. as it grapples with the insurgency in Iraq. Bout's airline, British Gulf, flies material into Baghdad International airport for the... MORE

Syria’s Supposed Schizophrenia

Much has changed since the 1960s and 70s. Back then, there was a whole host of states that could be suspected of funding, equipping or lending more surreptitious assistance to terrorist organizations. In 2004, the list of state sponsors of terrorism has diminished considerably. Born... MORE