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Chairman Corker, Ranking Member Cardin, and distinguished members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I am honored to be with you today to discuss the future of counter-terrorism strategy. This is an important moment to reflect on the state of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and al- Sham (ISIS) and the lessons terrorist organizations have learned from it. More than fifteen years after 9/11, we face a more diverse and complicated global terrorism threat, with continued and quickening adaptations from groups like ISIS and al Qaida. With a new administration and Congress a few weeks away, this is also a critical moment to reflect on our own lessons learned and how the United States should shape its counter-terrorism strategy to defeat the persistent threat of violent Islamic extremism. Introduction The nature of the global terrorist threat today is more geographically dispersed, adaptive, and strategically relevant than ever before. Terrorist attacks appear to be quickening and intensifying around the globe, and the perception of a worldwide metastasizing threat is increasing. Terrorist groups continue to learn from each other with demonstration effects of attacks, methodologies, and messaging echoing instantaneously around the world. These groups and their adherents adapt quickly to pressure and opportunity, leveraging elements of globalization and modern communication while exploiting seams in security along with weaknesses in governance to their full advantage. These groups also take advantage of and exacerbate dislocation, conflict, and sectarianism to fuel their agendas, fill their coffers, and gain footholds and adherents. In the context of broader dislocations and national anxieties, terrorist attacks and messaging take on more strategic relevance. Even a series of smaller-scale attacks could have broad social effects and political impact that affect the trajectory of nations and societies. The rise and reach of ISIS has driven much of the adaptation we have witnessed in the global terrorist landscape over the past few years. The emergence of ISIS outpaced expectations and surprised most authorities and terrorism analysts. With the announcement of the caliphate in Iraq and Syria and the taking of Mosul and other major cities, ISIS sought to redraw the map of the Middle East, threaten the West, establish provinces ("wilayats") and terrorist alliances, and inspire attacks well beyond the Middle East. ISIS has perpetrated...