Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The fight against militant Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan has rightly consumed the attention of American policymakers and the media in recent months. Yet the War against al Qaeda and Associated Movements, or WAQAM, extends beyond Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. Al Qaeda has a number of franchises, aspiring franchises, and affiliates, all of which make up a network that is dedicated to combating America, her allies and interests around the globe. On Christmas Day, one of these groups, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, surprised the U.S. through an attempted bombing of an airliner over Detroit, despite numerous warning signs of the group’s increased desire to strike U.S. targets. Another one of these groups, Somalia’s al Shabaab has threatened to do the same from its base in southern and central Somalia, the largest amount of territory controlled by a militant Islamist group in the world today.

Gartenstein-Ross analyzed the strategic history of Somalia after Ethiopia’s invasion in 2006 and addressed the effect of these events in creating a safe haven for Al Qaeda in Somalia.

Watch the video of the event here.

Introduction: Jamie Fly, The Foreign Policy Initiative

Panelists:
Chris Harnisch, AEI Critical Threats Project
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
John Kiriakou, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Moderator: Charlie Szrom, AEI Critical Threats Project