Examining the Worldwide Threat of al Qaeda, ISIS, and Other Foreign Terrorist Organizations

Chairman Stephen Lynch's Opening Statement

Washington, D.C. (December 3, 2021)—On December 7, 2021, at 9:30 a.m. ET, Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, will hold a hearing to examine the worldwide threat posed by al Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and other foreign terrorist organizations.  The hearing will also consider the Biden Administration’s whole-of-government approach, in coordination with international allies and partners, to counter the evolving terrorism threat.

In the 20 years since the September 11th attacks, the “global war on terrorism” has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars, but the terrorist threats facing the United States today are more diffuse and complex than ever before.  Al Qaeda and ISIS remain active around the world and have established branches and affiliates in 19 countries, which continue to pose a threat to U.S. interests at home and overseas. 

The Biden Administration has made clear that U.S. counterterrorism policies should be calibrated to address new and evolving terrorist threats.  To delegitimize terrorist organizations’ ideology and prevent them from finding safe havens to recruit, train, and plot acts of violence, the United States must adopt a whole-of-government approach that lessens its reliance on military force and emphasizes robust information-sharing, international diplomacy, and civilian and humanitarian assistance to address root causes of conflict.