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

Tech Against Terrorism

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, Jihadology. Aaron explains how The General Directorate of Provinces, a global hierarchy structure responsible for overseeing and coordinating Islamic State’s global affiliates, is central to much of the group's expansion.

🎧 Listen to learn:

➡︎ How The General Directorate of Provinces has helped IS integrate more globally.

➡︎ The implications of The General Directorate of Provinces for global security.

➡︎ How current political instability in Syria affects the operational capabilities of IS.

➡︎ Strategies which could mitigate the Islamic State’s influence globally.

📱Connect with Aaron Zelin.

📚Learn more about jihadology.net here.

⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn.

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.

💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber.

📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production.