Transnational Jihad – Explaining Escalation and Containment

TRANSJIHAD aims at advancing our understanding of one of the greatest contemporary challenges on the international agenda for peace and security, namely the ability of transnational jihadist movements to tap into local conflicts, hence escalating violence.

TRANSJIHAD is led by Dr. Mona Kanwal Sheikh, and is a five-year research project (2019-2023) funded by the European Research Council (StG).

Photo: Shutterstock
Read more about the project

TRANSJIHAD specifically investigates the questions of how jihadist conflicts become transnational and under what circumstances they can be contained. Empirically, it investigates patterns across different regions by studying the mechanisms of transnational escalation of jihadist conflicts through a comparative examination of contemporary cases of conflicts across Asia, the Middle East, the Arab Peninsula and Africa. Empirically, the project will focus on the Islamic State (IS), Al-Qaeda (AQ)– two movements that operate transnationally – as well as Boko Haram, and the Taliban (both the Pakistani and the Afghan brand), two movements that have had local/nationalist agendas but have periodically embraced IS or AQ. Together, these four movements are responsible for a large majority of all terrorism-related deaths in the world.

The project also aims at developing an interdisciplinary analytical framework, which combines micro- and macro level approaches to jihadism, drawing from both Religious Studies, Security Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies.


How do we understand a transnational jihadist conflict?

  • The conflict attracts foreign fighters and/or external intervention
  • Local jihadist groups collaborate with or operate in the name of the Islamic State or the Al-Qaeda movements
  • The demands made by involved jihadists transcend national borders


How do we examine transnationalization?

TRANSJIHAD investigates three dimensions of transnationalization and containment:

  • Political dimensions, which includes a study of peace deals and diplomatic acts aimed at containment, but primarily a quantitative study of factors contributing to the transnationalization of jihadist conflicts
  • Emotional & narrative dimensions of transnationalization, which includes the development of a macro-securitization framework in order to analyze mobilization dynamics
  • Ideological & religious dimensions of transnationalization, which includes sociotheological worldview analysis of recruitment materials and the warfare theologies of transnational jihadist movements


What do we contribute with?

Empirically, the project will look at the above movements across five geographical focal points, namely Afghanistan/Pakistan, Syria/Iraq, Mali/Nigeria, Libya and Yemen; areas that suffer from the greatest challenges associated with jihadist violence, including the highest shares of terrorism-related deaths (Global Terrorism Index 2016). The project is unique in its scope as it aims at comparing processes of transnationalization and conflict containment across regions, whereas most research on jihadist groups is either carried out by area specialists, who do not focus on trends across regional contexts, or by think-tank reports born out of strategic demands about how to win wars in areas where Western governments have intervened militarily. The specific countries are also chosen because they represent areas where jihadi groups have entered peace deals and hence attempts to contain these conflicts have been made.

Methodologically, TRANSJIHAD dissolves the scientific dichotomy between inside- and outside-oriented approaches to the study of transnational jihadist conflicts, widening prevailing scientific understandings of transnationalization processes. The project aims at bridging two types of approaches to the causes and resolution of jihadism, which rarely interact within this field of research; namely qualitative approaches that tend to focus on the religious motivations of jihadists, the radicalization literature and the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) literature on one side, and the (often quantitative) PCR literature on jihadist (civil) wars, on the other. While the bulk of radicalization and CVE literature is focused on religious radicalization and the significance of extremist ideology, PCR particularly looks at the political contestations between jihadist groups and the state.

Policy-wise, the project aims at generating a new understanding of conflict resolution. Jihadism is often studied within an isolated framework of understanding, which focuses on domestic drivers of radicalization and extremism (e.g. radical preachers or social networks) but misses the important linkages to macro-level conflict structures. With its focus on macro-level conflict structures, TRANSJIHAD hence contributes to developing a new framework for thinking about containment, providing an alternative to both the micro-level countering discourses embraced by much of the radicalization research, and the containment thinking that stems from the treatment of jihadist conflicts as civil wars in the peace and conflict literature. If we understand how jihadi conflicts are “transnationalized”, this will open up an important venue for understanding how such processes can be reversed and “re-localized.” The project is hence expected to develop a new perspective on counterterrorism, CVE and de-securitization, especially due to its focus on both macro- and micro-level processes (and linkages among them) as the center of analysis.

Theoretically, the project contributes with new frameworks for thinking about transnationalization that build upon both macro-securitization (Security Studies), and sociotheological worldview-analysis (Religious Studies). The project also aims at stimulating a theoretical paradigm shift in the present debates that run between scholars who either deny the “real” importance of religion or inject into it an exaggerated explanatory power. We examine not only ideological, but also emotional dimensions of religion, departing from a multidimensional conceptualization of the significance of religion. Another important theoretical contribution is expected to grow from the question of whether de-securitization or re-localization simply means the reverse of transnationalization, i.e., if we should look for a corresponding structure to securitizing speech acts in thinking about containment. If we succeed in the task of combining approaches to address macro-level conflict structures, we can fill the vacuum between the countering-discourses, which stems from the individual-level analysis, on the one hand, and containment thinking, which stems from treating transnational jihadism in a civil war framework, on the other hand.

Researchers

Core team

Dr. Mona Kanwal Sheikh (PI)

Dr. Saer El-Jaichi (Postdoc)

Dino Krause (Phd)

Affiliated researchers

Dr. Maria-Louise Clausen (focus: Yemen, Iraq)

Dr. Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde (focus: Mali, Niger)

Guest researcher

Dr. Jaume Castan Pinos (focus: how “non-jihadist” terrorism ends”)

Further readings on jihadism

Publications by Mona Kanwal Sheikh

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal & Juergensmeyer, Mark, editors. Entering Religious Minds –the Social Study of Worldviews. New York: Routledge. 2019.  

Mona Kanwal Sheikh & Amina Khan. Prospects of a settlement with the Afghan Taliban, Exit, peace and governance from the Taliban Perspective, DIIS Report, 2019.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. Religion, Emotions and Conflict Escalation. In Brent Steele and Eric Heinze (eds.) Routledge Handbook of Ethics and International Relations. Routledge. 2018.  

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. Worldview Analysis. In Mark Juergensmeyer, Saskia Sassen and Manfred Steger (eds.) Oxford Handbook of Global Studies. New York: Oxford University Press. 2018.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. Recursion or rejection? Securitization theory faces Islamist violence and foreign religions. Global Discourse - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Current Affairs and Applied Contemporary Thought, vol. 8 (1). 2018.  pp. 26-38

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal (ed.): Expanding Jihad – How Islamic State and Al-Qaeda find New Battlefields. Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies, 2017. 90 pages.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. Islamic State Enters Al-Qaeda’s Old Hotbed: Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Connections: The Quarterly Journal, vol. 16 (1). 2017. pp. 37-49.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. The real trouble with radicalization - Three challenges that the research community needs to address. DIIS Comment, 24. November 2017.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. Just because we look away, the war in Afghanistan is not over - Recent developments herald a troubled year for the Afghans. DIIS Comment, 13. January 2017.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. Guardians of God – Inside the Religious Mind of the Pakistani Taliban. Delhi: Oxford University Press. 2016.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. The different faces of Taliban jihad in Pakistan, OUPBlog, 6. October 2016.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. Sociotheology - The Significance of Religious Worldviews.  In Jeffrey Haynes, Luke Herrington & Alasdir Mckay, Bristol (eds.) Nations under God - The Geopolitics of Faith in the Twenty-First Century. E-International Relations Publishing. 2015.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. The Religious Challenge to Securitization Theory. Millennium – Journal of International Studies, vol. 43 (1). Sage Publications. 2014. pp. 252–272.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. Doctrinal War. E-International Relations. 2014. Retrieved from www.e-ir.info/2014/01/15/doctrinal-war/ 

Juergensmeyer, Mark and Mona Kanwal Sheikh. A Sociotheological Approach to Understanding Religious Violence. In Michael Jerryson, Mark Juergensmeyer, and Margo Kitts (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Violence. Oxford University Press. 2013. pp. 620-644.

Sheikh, Mona Kanwal. How does Religion Matter? Pathways to Religion in International Relations. Review of International Studies, vol. 38 (2). Cambridge University Press. 2012. pp. 365-392.
 

Publications by Sine Cold-Ravnkilde

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. ‘Violence and the Crisis of State in Mali’ in New Security Dynamics in the Sahel and Maghreb, Martinez, L. & Boserup, R. (eds.) Oxford University Press and Hurst Publishers (forthcoming).

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. Providing Security in the Sahel: A ‘Traffic Jam’ of Military Interventions, ISPI Commentary, 9. September 2019, https://www.ispionline.it/en/pubblicazione/providing-security-sahel-traffic-jam-military-interventions-23852

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. & Nissen, C. (2019) ‘De internationale styrker i Mali er ved at miste legitimiteten helt hos den befolkning, de egentlig skulle beskytte’ April 16, Information.

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. (2018) ‘A fragile military response: International support of the G5 Sahel Joint Force’, DIIS Policy Brief, Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies.

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. (2017) ‘Can the G5 Force Work Counterterrorism Magic in Africa’s Sahel Region?’ PassBlue, http://www.passblue.com/2017/06/15/operation-barkhane/

Plambech, S. & Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. (2016) ‘Defeating Boko Haram requires a multifaceted approach: Jihadist violence in Nigeria continues’, DIIS Policy Brief, Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies.

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. & Plambech, S. (2015) ‘Boko Haram: From local grievances to violent insurgency’, DIIS Report 2015 (21), Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies.’

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. & Pelckmans, L. (2015) ‘Peace in Mali requires a more comprehensive approach’, DIIS Impact, Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies. 

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M., Pelckmans, L. & Crone, M. (2015) ‘Al Qaeda affiliates – not Islamic State – behind Bamako hotel attack: Both local conflicts and global competition between Al Qaeda and Islamic State undermine security in Mali’, DIIS Comment, Danish Institute for International Studies.

Boserup, R.A., Lucht, H., Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. & Martinez, L. (2015) ‘Regional Security Deterioration after the Collapse of Libya: New threats in Maghreb and Sahel’, DIIS Policy Brief, Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies.

Cold-Ravnkilde, S.M. (2013) ‘War and peace in Mali: Background and perspectives’, DIIS Report, 2013 (33), Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies. 

Publications by Maria-Louise Clausen

Clausen, Maria-Louise, Achieving a sustainable peace in Yemen lies with locally driven initiatives, DIIS Policy Brief, 2019:, 2019

Clausen, Maria-Louise, Breaking the cycle, Iraq following the military defeat of Islamic State,  
DIIS Report, 2019:, 15. marts 2019

Clausen, Maria-Louise, Idéen om islamisk stat lever forsat og har det O.K., Jyllandsposten, 3. september 2018

Clausen, Maria-Louise (2018), "Competing for Control over the state: the case of Yemen, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Vol. 29, no. 3: 560-578

Clausen, Maria-Louise, Can federalism save the Yemeni state? Yemen and the Search for Stability, Marie-Christine Heinze, United Kingdom: I.B. Tauris, 2018

Clausen, Maria-Louise (2017). ”Islamic State in Yemen – A Rival to al-Qaeda?” Connections, Vol. 16, no. 1: 50-62

Clausen, Maria-Louise, Islamisk stat i yemen, en udfordrer til al-Qaeda, Splittelsen i global jihad, København: Danish Institute for International Studies, 2016
 

Media coverage

Islamic State in West Africa
Dino Krause, Statement, Politiken    

Interview on Islamic State now
Telli Betül Karacan, Interview, DR, Orientering        

Interview on report on Islamic State
Telli Betül Karacan, Interview, DR, Deadline        

Interview on report on Islamic State propaganda
Telli Betül Karacan, Interview, DR P1 Morgen     

Interview with Saer El-Jaichi and Christian on their new book on Arabic philosophy
Saer El-Jaichi, Interview, Systime      

Interview on Islamic philosophy and the west
Saer El-Jaichi, Interview, Politiken     

Jihadi groups utilize local existing conflicts in Western Africa
Dino Krause, Article, Jyllands-Posten      

Article about al-Qaedas regional branches and growing strength
Dino Krause, Article, Jyllands-Posten    

IS’ future in the light of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death
Dino Kruse, Statement, Danish Radio Broadcasting

IS’ future in the light of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death
Dino Krause, Statement, Politiken     

Statements on Corona’s influence on our perception of security
Mona Kanwal Sheikh, Statement, ISSISlamabad    

Interview about new book – IS in South East Asia
Mona Kanwal Sheikh, Interview, DR, P1 Morgen    

Interview about global jihad in Southeast Asia
Mona Kanwal Sheikh, Interview, DR Orientering       

Presentation of just-granted project – transnational jihad
Mona Kanwal Sheikh, interview, Ministry of Higher Education and Science 

Podcast about the fragile situation in Afghanistan
Mona Kanwal Sheikh, interview, Zetland magazine

Statement with regards to Trump’s cancellation of peace-meeting with Taliban 
Mona Kanwal Sheikh, statement, Ekstra Bladet  

Interview about Al Qaeda - Interview about Afghanistan
Mona Kanwal Sheikh, interview, DR P1 - Verden ifølge Gram (The World according to Gram) 

Jihadism 20 years later: Fighting the West while fighting each other

Where does the transnational jihadist movement stand 20 years after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? Does it constitute a significant counterforce to the West and its geopolitical interests, or has internal fragmentation made it weaker?

Jihad al-Qaeda Afghanistan Illustration: Rasmus Fly Filbert

Explaining Transnational Jihad

"Transnational Jihad – Explaining Patterns of Escalation and Containment" is a five-year research project that investigates questions on how jihadist conflicts become transnational and under what circumstances they can be contained. Learn more about the project in this video.

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Research and activites

  • book confronting the Caliphate
    Livestreaming
    DIIS Auditorium
    Occupying a square to prevent the Sharia-judge from amputating a teenager’s hand, spraying forbidden graffiti at public buildings, secretly listening to nonreligious music at home, or shouting anti-jihadist slogans with hundreds of others at a public protest: these are only a few examples of a much larger range of nonviolent resistance behavior displayed by civilians who have lived under the repressive rule of jihadists
  • jihadisme
    Auditoriet
    Seminaret vil forsøge at give en bred indsigt i hvad Taleban-bevægelsen i Afghanistan stod for i sine tidlige år, og hvad den i dag udgøres af
  • Transnational Jihad – Explaining Escalation and Containment, photo by getmilitaryphotos
    Livestreaming
    Auditorium
    This seminar takes stock of the global jihadi movement 20 years after 9/11. Leading scholars will share their thoughts on the internal debates and divisions within the jihadi movement today.
  • Photo
    Webinar
    This webinar launches the publication “Religion, Conflict and Global Society – A Festschrift Celebrating Mark Juergensmeyer” edited by Mona Kanwal Sheikh and Isak Svensson. Some of the distinguished contributors and Mark Juergensmeyer will address the themes that the book takes up, such as conceptual debates on secularism, cosmic war, and the globalization of Global Studies.

Contact

Mona Kanwal Sheikh
Global security and worldviews
Head of unit, Senior researcher
+45 4089 0476
Dino Krause
Global security and worldviews
Postdoc
+45 9132 5493
Saer El-Jaichi
Global security and worldviews
Senior Researcher
+45 5125 7110
 Maria-Louise Clausen
Global security and worldviews
Senior Researcher
Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde
Migration and global order
Senior Researcher