Publisher's Synopsis
What explains the resilience and expansion of Jihadism since 9/11? Two primary factors associated with its accelerated growth are poor governance in the Muslim world and U.S. foreign policy failures. The social and political conditions within Muslim-majority governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the role of U.S. policy under such conditions may have accelerated the growth of Jihadism despite the concerted military, intelligence, and allied efforts to defeat this movement and its underlying ideology. The domestic determinants, as represented by the World Bank's governance indicators, were observed within five MENA countries, and their performance on those indicators was compared to the levels of violence associated with each of the countries both domestically and abroad. To better understand anti-American sentiment from U.S. foreign policy failures that have contributed to the growth and resilience of violent Jihadi movements, this thesis also observed U.S. foreign policy interactions within a MENA region landscape littered with non-representative and poor governance. The U.S. government may need to reassess its approach toward violent extremists and develop a nuanced and sustainable approach against Islamic fundamentalism.
