Generation Jihad

China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are engaged in “unprecedented” cooperation, and that is empowering Russian aggression in Ukraine and making the regime in Iran more lethal and resilient. Axis security cooperation is iterative and flowing in both directions across the bilateral relationships within the Axis, making its militaries more formidable and eroding the margin of safety for Americans and their partners.What is the latest in Ukraine? How are Axis members supporting Putin's invasion? What role have drones played in Ukraine and the Middle East? How are Moscow and Tehran cooperating, and what are the consequences? What is the status of US and partner air defenses and lessons learned? And what changes are afoot when it comes to US military posture in Europe?Generation Jihad guest host Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), discusses these questions and more with John Hardie, deputy director of FDD's Russia program, and Cameron McMillan, senior research analyst at FDD's CMPP.

Twenty-five years after 9/11, analysts still can't agree on whether Al Qaeda is a spent force or a resurgent threat. Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio and co-host Will Selber speak with guest Graeme Wood, staff writer at The Atlantic, and unpack his new article on the group's uncertain legacy.The conversation digs into Al Qaeda's true objectives, the blurred line between its "core" and its regional affiliates, and mounting evidence of the group's expanding footprint inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The three debate how to judge Al Qaeda's 25-year campaign — and whether Syria's new president, a former Al Qaeda commander, signals the jihadist group's decline or its evolution in the Long War.

The latest report by the United Nations Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team states that Africa has become the main battlefield for both the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, that Al Qaeda's senior leadership remains marginalized, and that Al Qaeda is collaborating with the Afghan Taliban and TTP to project threats into Pakistan. Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio and Edmund Fitton-Brown, FDD senior fellow and former coordinator of the UN Monitoring Team, unpack the new 1267 report on the global state of the Islamic State, Al Qaeda, and their affiliated groups.They challenge the report's claim that Al Qaeda's leadership is marginalized, highlight a $50 million ransom that strengthened its network, and examine what a UN assessment can and cannot reveal about the Long War's current threat.https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n26/171/00/pdf/n2617100.pdf

The weapons flowing through the Axis of Aggressors don't move in one direction—they boomerang. In the second installment of this two-part episode, Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio continues his conversation with Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power, and Ryan Brobst, CMPP deputy director, digging deeper into the mechanics of authoritarian convergence.Bowman and Brobst trace how Iran's Shahed drone became a shared arsenal—copied by China, produced by North Korea, and returned to Tehran in upgraded form after Russia improved it on the battlefields of Ukraine. They break down the munitions crisis draining US and allied stockpiles, explain why North Korea may be in its strongest strategic position in decades, and unpack the "trilateral tango" between Kim Jong-un, Beijing, and Moscow. The conversation closes with a five-line grand strategy for countering the axis—and a sobering warning about what happens if Washington waits for the next crisis to act.For Part One, check out: https://www.fdd.org/podcasts/2026/08/11/china-russia-iran-north-korea-inside-the-axis-of-aggressors/

China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea aren't just aligned in rhetoric—they're actively coordinating to erode American military, economic, and cyber dominance. In this episode, Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio sits down with Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power, and Ryan Brobst, CMPP deputy director, to unpack the real-world mechanics behind this dangerous authoritarian convergence.From joint military exercises and sanctions evasion to weapons transfers and cyber warfare collaboration, Bowman and Brobst break down exactly how members of “the Axis of Aggressors” prop each other up on the world stage—and what it will take for the US to counter a group of nations that no longer play by the old rules of great power competition.

The US is losing leverage in Somalia — and may be about to repeat the mistake in Mali. Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss, a Long War Journal editor and a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation, break down why Washington's frustration with Mogadishu is putting critical African Union support at risk, what that means for Al Shabaab's grip on southern Somalia, and whether Puntland and Emirati-backed forces can hold the line without it.They also discuss Mali, where renewed US airstrikes against JNIM raise a familiar question: what do strikes accomplish without a ground strategy or political reform? Bill and Caleb trace the pattern across the Sahel before tackling the bigger debate over whether Al Qaeda is dead or everywhere, and why our visibility into the network may be at an all-time low.

Former Marine and New York Times journalist Thomas Gibbons-Neff recently returned to Afghanistan to find accountability and closure, specifically seeking out Mullah Abdul Rahim Gulab, a Taliban commander he had battled in 2010. His article, “Why I Sought Out a Taliban Commander I Had Fought,” inspired Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio to seek out Will Selber, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel, the co-founder of the Grumpy Combat Veteran + Friends media network, and an Afghanistan veteran, to discuss the Times article.Bill and Will break down the merits of Gibbons-Neff's recent tour in country, his struggle with his experience as a soldier, where his investigation lacked depth and due diligence, and whether this type of article will skew a full understanding of the Afghan War as the 25th anniversary of 9/11 nears.

In part two of their conversation, Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio, FDD CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman, and FDD Senior Analyst Cameron McMillan ask a tough question following months of kinetic warfare with Iran: What's the Pentagon's readiness for the next battle?The US currently falls dangerously short on munitions supply, a modernized naval fleet, and the manpower to fight in multiple theaters. Is our military prepared for the next round of conflict with Iran—and the potential threats from other members of the “Axis of Aggressors,” Russia, China, and North Korea?For Part One, check out: https://www.fdd.org/podcasts/2026/07/23/what-is-irans-breaking-point/

The US says it's degrading Iran's threat, but as the renewed air campaign approaches the two-week mark, the math still doesn't check out. In Part 1 of this conversation, Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio joins FDD CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman and Senior Analyst Cameron McMillan to discuss the real gap between degrading Iran's missile, drone, and naval capabilities and actually eliminating them, and why murky end goals could lead to a long-term, inconclusive standoff.With Russia and China already helping Tehran rebuild its arsenal, this episode digs into the Strait of Hormuz calculus, the pain thresholds on both sides, and whether escalation is a genuine path to peace—or just revenge for killing American soldiers.

The Iran ceasefire is dead. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and US strikes pounding Iranian military and infrastructure targets, President Trump has reinstated a full naval blockade even as peace talks limp on.FDD Research Analyst Janatan Sayeh and Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio discuss whether Europe may finally be turning on Tehran, whether Israel will rejoin the active fight, and whether the weakened Islamic Regime survives by playing its last card and unleashing its terror proxies across the Gulf.

Iraq's political system is caught in a chokehold, squeezed between fragile reform efforts and the entrenched power of Iran-backed militias. Deep-rooted corruption and patronage networks keep the status quo alive while the US attempts to financially pressure the Iraqi government into action. Can Iraq break free toward real sovereignty—or is it destined to stay locked in Tehran's orbit?FDD Research Analyst and Fulbright Scholar Bridget Toomey meets with Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio to break down why Iraqi disarmament may promise collapse, and how armed Iran-backed groups quietly pull the strings on Iraq's political and economic future.

A new 14-point trilateral framework toward ending hostilities in Lebanon, brokered by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, puts Hezbollah, Iran's strongest terror proxy, at a crossroads. Disarm and let Lebanon reclaim its southern border—or keep threatening Israel and risk blowing up the fragile US-Iran peace deal.FDD Senior Fellow David Daoud, an expert on Lebanon and Hezbollah, joins Generation Jihad's Bill Roggio to break down what's really at stake in these negotiations. Is this framework a genuine path to Hezbollah's disarmament, or just another geopolitical dead end?

One week after President Trump signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran, the 60-day negotiation window is already under pressure — and the concessions are piling up.Iran has gained unblocked oil sales, potential sanctions relief on frozen assets, and signals that Washington may allow Tehran to keep its ballistic missile program. Meanwhile, the US is pressuring Israel to stand down against Hezbollah. So, is this two-page MOU actually worth paper it's written on?FDD Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu joins host Bill Roggio to break it all down.

President Trump said a two-page memorandum of understanding, or MOU, has be signed between the U.S and the Islamic Republic of Iran that will end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. But will this deal bring about a lasting peace in the region or has peace just become another five-letter word. Senior Fellow at FDD, David Daoud, and Bill speculate as to what will become of the Middle East, and America's influence in the region, as this very thin MOU moves forward.

Despite multiple attempts by Israel to quell the fighting in Gaza and decapitate their leadership, Hamas continues a guerilla-style resistance. The IDF now fights on three active fronts, Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza. But it's perhaps the forgotten war in Gaza that could resume major hostilities if left unchecked. Bill speaks with FDD Research Analyst Samuel Ben-Ur about next steps in Gaza. Was Trump's Board of Peace a false window for both combatants to regroup? And, what may trigger a flare up in this long battle spurred by October 7th?

While attention remains fixed elsewhere, jihadist groups are expanding across Africa. Bill and Caleb revisit the growing threats in Mali, Nigeria, and Somalia—and why the continent remains one of the most consequential battlegrounds in the war against Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Iran's military has been shattered. The Strait of Hormuz remains contested. Three months in, Bill and FDD's Jon Schanzer examine why quick victories are rare, patience is scarce, and this war is entering its most consequential phase yet.

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Hezbollah's missiles may be depleted, but cheap FPV drones are changing the battlefield — slipping past defenses, targeting Israeli troops, and exposing a dangerous new vulnerability.Bill and David Daoud unpack Hezbollah's drone evolution, the psychological warfare behind the footage, and why Israel may be drifting back toward the failed security zone dynamics of the past.

Iran's nuclear program is in ruins, but the threat is far from dead. Deputy Director of FDD's Non-Proliferation Program, Andrea Stricker and Bill dive into the desperate gamble Tehran is making at the negotiating table with the U.S. — and the terrifying chemical contingency they might be holding in reserve.

The world's most vital trade artery is under siege. As the U.S. launches "Project Freedom" to break the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, global shipping remains in a chokehold. This week, Bill sits down with shipping expert Sal Mercogliano to break down the stalemate, the dual blockade, and the massive economic ripple effects threatening the global supply chain.

Tehran is shifting the battlefield from missiles to markets, turning the Strait of Hormuz into leverage and testing whether Washington will trade long-term strategy for short-term relief. Bill and Behnam discuss.

Across Mali, jihadis are seizing territory, encircling the capital, and pushing a fragile regime toward collapse. Backed by a sprawling network and years in the making, Al-Qaeda's Sahel affiliate has launched its most ambitious offensive yet—one that could redraw the map of West Africa. Bill and Caleb unpack.

Iran says it's not in a rush to negotiate, but reality signals something else.Bill is joined by FDD senior fellow Miad Maleki — former U.S. Treasury sanctions architect — to break down why Tehran walked away from talks, what the Strait of Hormuz blockade is really doing, and why the regime may be under more pressure than at any point since 1979.

Bill joins fellow FDD colleagues, Cameron McMillan and Ryan Brobst, from the Center on Military and Political Power to reassess the combat objectives met by the U.S. military after seven weeks of engagement in the Iranian War. Can the Department of Defense stand by their robust claims about Iranian hardware destruction? And, will the recent naval blockade be the military operation that ultimately breaks the Iranian regime?

FDD Senior Fellow Edmund Fitton-Brown joins Bill to assess the current state of the Iran War. From the dual blockade in the Strait of Hormuz to the failed peace negotiations, they consider: why did Pakistan step up as mediator? Can Tehran stretch the Houthis for even more leverage in the Red Sea? Has the war pushed the Gulf States closer together?

FDD Senior Fellow David Daoud and Bill examine the recent and fragile ceasefire in the ongoing Iran War. Will the fighting in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah break the peace, and has the Iranian resistance movement missed a golden opportunity?

Bill and FDD Senior Analyst, Cameron McMillan, unravel the complex rescue of two US airmen shot down over Iran - including the strategic coordination and risks involved with the operation - as well as the current state of the Iranian ballistic missile program, and Tehran's strategic adaptability amidst the dynamic conditions of this war.

FDD's Janatan Sayeh is back with Bill for an update on the Iran war, including: the potential for concrete regime change, last night's address by President Trump, rumored U.S.-Iran deliberations, the fragile balance of power on the ground, and the possibility of a popular uprising against the wounded Islamic Republic.

As U.S. and Israeli strikes hit inside Iran, the regime is firing back outside its borders — and the war is expanding because of it. Iraqi militias target U.S. forces. The Gulf is under attack. The Houthis are back in the fight. This isn't spillover — it's strategy. Ahmad Sharawi and Bridget Toomey are back with Bill to assess Iran's expanding proxy war — and the growing risk that America is funding forces now targeting its own troops.

Kharg Island looks like the perfect target — take it, and you choke off Iran's oil. But it's not that simple.Bill is joined by Ryan Brobst and Cameron McMillan to discuss why seizing Kharg could hand Tehran exactly what it wants: a wider war, a vulnerable U.S. position, and a fight on the regime's terms.

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed. It's not.Ships are still moving. Oil is still flowing.Just not for everyone. Friends pass. Also anyone with millions of dollars to spare.Enemies don't.This isn't a blockade. It's a shakedown.Bill Roggio sits down with shipping expert Sal Mercogliano to break down Tehran's latest act of war: turning the world's most critical shipping chokepoint into leverage.

The bombs are falling. The regime is reeling. But revolutions aren't won from 30,000 feet.As Washington and Jerusalem pummel toward a mission accomplished, Bill is joined by FDD's Jon Schanzer to grapple with a harder question that looms: what happens if there's no uprising when the bombing stops?

As pressure builds inside Iran, the regime is lashing out across the region.Bill Roggio, Joe Truzman, and David Daoud break down Tehran's expanding battlefield from internal strain to external escalation and the question at the center of it all: Is this strength or a regime under stress trying to change the game before it loses control? Mentioned by BillWe didn't light it, but we tried to fight it.Day 14 of the Iran WarDon't want the regime to have nukes? Eliminate the regime.

As the US and Israel strike targets inside Iran's borders, the regime is firing back outside of them. Across the region from tourist hubs and capital cities to energy infrastructure and U.S. military bases, Iranian attacks are dragging the region into the war and raising the cost of conflict. Ahmad Sharawi joins Bill to assess Tehran's strategy and the threat it poses to Middle East stability — including a nightmare maritime scenario that no one is talking about.

As U.S. and Israeli strikes pound Iran's military and Tehran threatens shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the conflict is entering a dangerous new phase.FDD's Bradley Bowman joins Bill to break down what the strikes have achieved — and the harder question that remains: is the goal to weaken the regime… or bring it down?

After 12 days of war—and the death of Iran's supreme leader—the Islamic Republic is under unprecedented pressure.Bill and Janatan Sayeh assess this initial phase of the war, the gap between Washington and Jerusalem's goals, and the decisive question still looming over Tehran: will the Iranian people finish the job?

For decades, many Americans believed conflict with the Islamic Republic would be a new war. But as Bill and Behnam explain, the truth is simpler: this war began in 1979 — with hostage-taking, terrorism, and a regime built on hostility toward the United States and its allies. Now, after the killing of Iran's supreme leader and a campaign to dismantle Tehran's missile arsenal — and as Iran widens the war by firing at its neighbors and daring them to join — the question isn't how the war started. It's how it ends. Is this a limited war to degrade the regime — or the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic?

Bill and Edmund Fitton-Brown recorded this conversation before the U.S. and Israel conducted the military strikes inside the Islamic Republic that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.In it, they pondered the question that Washington was wrestling with at the time: should the U.S. strike Iran, and what would happen if it did? From whether airpower alone can truly cripple Iran's nuclear and missile programs to why regime change may be impossible without an actual armed resistance.They also pivoted to Gaza and the new “Board of Peace” plan — billions of dollars, a multinational force, and the question looming over it all: can it stabilize Gaza, or will Hamas sabotage it from the start?

It's day four of Operation Epic Fury. So... what's the strategy?Bill Roggio is joined by FDD military analyst Cameron McMillan to assess the objectives of the campaign, the forces now deployed across the region, and why destroying Iran's weapons before they launch them may be the only way to protect American forces.

Emerging reports following today's U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran suggest Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead.If true, is regime decapitation the opening salvo of the fall of the Islamic Republic? What happens next?David Daoud and Joe Truzman are back with Bill to unpack what we know, what we don't know, and whether this is the moment that reshapes the Middle East.Indeed, the stakes are generational, and the next few weeks could define the next few decades.

Bill and Joe discuss the emergence of anti-Hamas militias in Gaza, their dynamics, challenges, and the response from Hamas, highlighting the complexities of the situation in Gaza and the uncertain future of these militias in the broader context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

After slaughtering tens of thousands during a nationwide internet blackout — the bloodiest crackdown in the Islamic Republic's history — the regime still stands.President Trump now has three options: negotiate, strike, or wait.Is this the moment to help finish what the 12-Day War started? Or would U.S. intervention only prolong the Long War? Can this regime fall without a true revolution — and how much blood would that require?Bill Roggio and Behnam Ben Taleblu convene for a hard debate over whether Washington should help precipitate Tehran's collapse — or stay out of it.

In its latest report on the state of global jihad, the UN reveals that al-Qaeda is expanding — and one critical fact the report doesn't mention: al-Qaeda's leader is based in Iran.Bill Roggio is joined by his FDD colleague Edmund Fitton-Brown — who previously oversaw the UN's sanctions and monitoring team that produces these assessments — to unpack what the report gets right, what it misses, and why al-Qaeda — not ISIS — remains the most dangerous long-term jihadist threat facing the West.

In Part 37 of Big Yikes in Syria, Bill and Ahmad unpack yet another round of bad alliances and strategic failure in the war-torn country.

One month into the uprising in Iran, the regime is still killing.With the internet shut down, foreign militias unleashed on civilians, and reports of more than 30,000 dead, Tehran is waging a war on its own people.FDD's Janatan Sayeh joins Bill to share what he's hearing directly from inside Iran, why this is no longer “just protests,” and what it will take to finally break the Islamic Republic's grip on power.

Three weeks into the largest uprising in the Islamic Republic's history, the country has gone dark. With the internet shut down and security forces unleashed, thousands — possibly tens of thousands — of Iranians have been massacred in an unprecedented and brutal crackdown. Behnam Ben Taleblu joins Bill to unpack what this revolution means, why defections — not protests — are the real tipping point, and why the West's failure to act may leave permanent scars — on Iran, and on U.S. credibility.

After military defeat abroad and at home where the economy also has collapsed, the Islamic Republic is weaker than ever, and the Iranian people know it.The regime is facing a nationwide uprising unlike anything seen in decades with Iranians across class, age, and ideology back in the streets, and they're no longer asking for reform. They're demanding an end to the Islamic Republic itself. Meanwhile, President Trump warned that U.S. military action is on the table if the regime slaughters protesters. As we record, a brutal crackdown is underway with reports of hundreds of Iranians killed and tens of thousands arrested. Is this the moment?Bill asks FDD CEO and Iran Breakdown host Mark Dubowitz.Your top Iran protest resources:— We're tracking the Iran protests at fdd.org/iranprotests. — Mark's podcast, The Iran Breakdown, is required listening. Start here with his interview with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.— Follow FDD's Iran experts on X, including Mark, Behnam, Saeed, Janatan

In a lightning-fast U.S. military raid, Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured in Caracas, arrested, and transported to the United States, sending shockwaves across Latin America and far beyond. Bill is joined by Sam Ben-Ur to unpack the raid and the intelligence behind it, what comes next when the dictator is gone, but the regime remains — and why Bill says "the ayatollah must be sh*tting himself."

Iran is erupting again — and this time, the protests are openly anti-regime. Strikes are spreading, nationalist slogans are surging, and the Islamic Republic's margin for control is shrinking. Guest host Behnam Ben Taleblu is joined by Janatan Sayeh and Navid Mohebbi to discuss what's driving the unrest and what (dwindling) options the regime still has.

On Christmas Day, the United States launched airstrikes against Islamic State targets in northwest Nigeria, framed as a response to jihadist violence and the persecution of Christians. But did Washington hit the right enemy? In the right place? For the right reasons? Bill and Caleb analyze the known knowns of the strike, including who was targeted and who wasn't — and why the operation may have been more about optics than outcomes.Editorial note: The 1997 film known as "Home Alone 3" is not a legitimate addition to the Home Alone franchise, making a riff on the title fair game.