Salafi-Jihadism in the Decade following the Arab Spring: Down and Up and Down Again.

Early in the decade that began with the Arab Spring, the Salafi-jihadist camp led by al-Qaeda was at a low point following the killing of Osama bin Laden and most of the senior leadership. However, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded bin Laden, was able to exploit the events of the Arab Spring and the civil war in Syria, which he transformed into a new “jihad arena.” The establishment of the Islamic State in 2014 split the Salafi-jihadist bloc into two competing camps; by the end of the decade, after the Islamic State was defeated militarily, the two-headed Salafi-jihadist bloc reached a new low point. Now, however, at its disposal are reservoirs of manpower with combat experience and significant economic assets. Despite the prevalent sense of victory in the West, hundreds of terrorist attacks around the world in 2020 by elements that identify with Salafijihadism prove that the camp is alive and functioning. The three decades since the establishment of al-Qaeda, which have seen successive ups and downs in the organization, demonstrate that future Salafi-jihadi activity is eminently possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]