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The Status and Evolution of al Qa'ida and other Salafi-jihadist Groups
   
You're invited to attend a distinguished alumni speaker series event with Seth Jones, AM'99 PhD'04, in DC on this compelling topic.

Cost: 15
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The UChicago Military Affinity Group invites you to a distinguished alumni speaker presentation by alumnus, Seth Jones, AM'99 PhD'04. Seth will examine the status and evolution of al Qa'ida and other Salafi-jihadist groups, a subject of intense debate in the West. Some argue that al Qa'ida - especially core al Qa'ida - has been severely weakened and no longer constitutes a major threat to the United States. Others argue that the most acute threat to the United States comes from home grown terrorist organizations. Still others maintain that al Qa'ida is resilient , even resurgent, and is a growing threat to the United States. To help understand the situation, this presentation will ask several questions. How is the Salafi-jihadist movement organized, what are its objectives, and what are the strategies of its leaders? Second, how strong (or weak) is the movement today? Third, what strategies should the United States establish to counter these groups?

Biography

Seth G. Jones is associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation, as well as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University's School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He served as the representative for the commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations. Before that, he served as a plans officer and advisor to the commanding general, U.S. Special Operations Forces, in Afghanistan (Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command–Afghanistan).

Jones specializes in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism, including a focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and al Qa'ida. He is the author of Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of al Qa'ida after 9/11 (W.W. Norton, 2012) and In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan (W. W. Norton), which won the 2010 Council on Foreign Relations Silver Medal for Best Book of the Year. He is also the author of The Rise of European Security Cooperation (Cambridge University Press, 2007). Jones has published articles in a range of journals, such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and International Security, as well as in such newspapers and magazines as the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

Among his many RAND publications are Afghanistan's Local War (2010), Counterinsurgency in Pakistan (2010), How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering Al Qa'ida (2009), and Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan (2008). Jones is also coauthor of RAND's series of reports on nation-building.
Event Contact
Brian Shevenaugh AM'12


Staff Liaison
Lucie Sandel

773.702.5646

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Event Information
EVENT DATE:
Thursday, May 8 2014 at 7:00pm - 9:00pm [ iCal ]
LOCATION:
University of Chicago DC Office
1730 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC
[ Get Directions ]