Political, Economic, and Security Situation in Africa.

• Author: Coleshill, Renate Z.

POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SECURITY SITUATION IN AFRICA

By Thomas Joscelyn, Senior Fellow, Foundation for the Defense of Democracy

http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/political-economic-and-security-situation-in-africa

Thomas Joscelyn testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs on November 21, 2013, providing an insightful review of what is happening in Africa vis-a-vis al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Like most people working in the security world, he has an alarmist view of the strength and ability of terrorist groups. His testimony, however, is interesting in that he details his view of terrorist groups in Africa that are largely ignored by mass media.

He is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and senior editor of The Long War Journal, a publication dealing with counterterrorism and related issues. Mr. Joscelyn was the senior counterterrorism adviser to Mayor Giuliani during the 2008 presidential campaign. He has testified before Congress on several occasions, including before the House Homeland Security Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and House Judiciary Committee. Mr. Joscelyn is also a frequent contributor to The Weekly Standard, a well-known conservative journal. His work has been published by a variety of other publications and he makes regular appearances on television and radio programs. Much of his research focuses on how al Qaeda and its affiliates operate around the globe.

Mr. Joscelyn has also constructed dossiers for hundreds of terrorists during the course of his work, and The Daily Beast has described him as one of "the most trusted authorities on the al Qaeda network because of his encyclopedic knowledge of terrorist biographies." In 2007, the Claremont Institute published his monograph titled "Iran's...