ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the remarkable resiliency of both ISIS and al-Qaeda and their potential to continue to threaten local, regional, and international security. Both terrorist movements have incontestably been weakened, degraded, and diminished. Yet, they and their respective franchises and branches persist in their struggles. Their strategies of devolving command authority to their local and regional allies appears to have enabled both movements to survive the significant setbacks each has experienced. In a situation where the ideology and goals of both movements continue to resonate, the war on terror ineluctably grinds on – despite optimistic assessments or wishful thinking to the contrary.
