My research question for this
semester is, “How can the United States adjust its al-Qaeda-centric
counterterrorism policies to contain ISIS?” I initially became interested in
terrorism research through taking a number of interesting classes, such as
“Theory and Politics of Terrorism” and “Foreign Intelligence and Civil
Liberties,” through my intelligence analysis minor. I first got involved in
OSCAR research in the spring semester of 2016. My research topic at that time
was about terrorism in weak and failed states.
Given the international
events that played out in early 2016, it seemed like a natural progression for
me to shift my focus to a research project about ISIS. I felt that my question pointed
to a unique and crucial dimension of terrorism from the standpoint of the U.S: Because
ISIS is fundamentally different than al-Qaeda, it must be addressed in a manner
than appreciates those differences. In the future, I am interested in working
in counterterrorism or law. I expect that both the specific knowledge I have
learned about terrorist groups and Middle Eastern countries as well as the general
improvements to my researching and writing skills will be helpful in my future
career path.
For this project I largely
use academic journal articles, government documents, and policy papers
published by think tanks to gather information. Using these sources, my typical
week involves researching, annotating articles, and writing. Given how close I
am to Washington, I also decided to incorporate interviews with policy
researchers in D.C. who focus on terrorism and ISIS. One important difference
that I have noticed between ISIS and al-Qaeda is the differing levels of
international involvement against the two groups. Due to the close involvement
of actors including Iran and Russia in Iraq and Syria, the United States has different
counterterrorism options than those that existed in addressing al-Qaeda after
9/11.
