The Fire Still Burns

Over the past couple years, we’ve been reading a lot about the gradual demise of Al Qaeda. The Economist explains that the Nairobi bombing is a reminder that reports of this demise have been greatly exaggerated: “From Somalia to Syria, al-Qaeda franchises and jihadist fellow travellers now control more territory, and can call on more fighters, than at any time since Osama bin Laden created the organisation 25 years ago.”

+ More from The Economist’s report on The New Face of Terror: “For all the West’s supposedly huge soft power, it has been feeble in its efforts to win over moderate Muslims in the most important battle of all, that of ideas.”