Foreign Policy Essay
If Boko Haram’s Leader Is Dead, What’s Next for Northeastern Nigeria?
Alex Thurston Sun, May 30, 2021, 10:01 AM
The balance of power may be shifting, but not in favor of the Nigerian military.
Alexander Thurston is assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati. He is the author of three books, most recently “Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel,” published in 2020 by Cambridge University Press.
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Foreign Policy Essay
Five Myths About Boko Haram
Alex Thurston Sun, Jan 14, 2018, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: Boko Haram is one of the most violent, and least understood, militant groups in the world. Despite this bloody record, many counterterrorism policymakers and analysts misrepresent the group's history and ambitions. Alexander Thurston, my colleague at Georgetown, has an awesome new book on Boko Haram (buy it here).
Foreign Policy Essay
Who Counts as al-Qaeda: Lessons from Libya
Alex Thurston Sun, May 7, 2017, 10:00 AM
Editor’s Note: Ties to a terrorist group are rightly a stigma. However, given the nebulous nature of many groups, such connections are often easy to overstate. Alex Thurston, my colleague at Georgetown, argues that in Libya the United States has set the bar too high regarding ties to al-Qaeda. Instead, the United States and its allies should try to disaggregate the threat, recognizing that "ties to al-Qaeda" is a description that is often so loose as to be meaningless in the Libyan context. Instead, there are actors the West can work with to bring peace and stability to Libya.