The Evolution of the Islamic State: From Regional Force to Global Threat

About this episode

This episode explores the transformation of the Islamic State from a local insurgency to a global threat.

The Islamic State, once a local insurgency rooted in Iraq and Syria, has transformed into a global network with far-reaching influence. In this episode of the podcast, we chart how its operations have expanded beyond the Middle East, as the group leveraged technology, propaganda, and local affiliates to spread its ideology across borders. Host Lucas Webber is joined by Aaron Zelin, a Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and founder of the widely acclaimed website, Jih...

People in this episode

Host: Lucas Webber

Guest: Aaron Zelin

Topics covered

• Islamic State
• global threat
• technology
• propaganda
• regional insurgency
• Middle East
• affiliates

Keywords

• Islamic State
• global network
• technology
• propaganda
• Middle East
• insurgency
• affiliates

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Islamic State

More episodes of Tech Against Terrorism

• Understanding Hezbollah: From Ideology to Operations · January 29, 2026 · 36 min
• Pathways to Violence: Understanding Youth Radicalisation · December 18, 2025 · 42 min
• Improvised Explosives: Drones, 3D Printing, and Emerging Tech · November 20, 2025 · 37 min
• Terrorism in Europe: How political polarisation is fueling radicalisation · October 16, 2025 · 36 min
• Radicalisation in Southeast Asia: What we can learn from the region · September 18, 2025 · 43 min
• Al Qaeda: Current Capabilities and Threat Trajectories · August 14, 2025 · 37 min