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Generation Jihad

FDD's Long War Journal

The war against Islamic Jihadism is defining generations. It was our father’s war, it’s our war, and will most likely be our children’s war. The FDD' s Long War Journal team has been researching and reporting for over two decades on the jihadists fueling this terror. “Generation Jihad” features LWJ Editor Bill Roggio as he diagnoses the black and white motivations behind the world’s most notorious terrorists, reports on their expanding malign activities, and offers prescriptions for confronting the multi-generational menace that is Islamic Jihadism.

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23 episodes
Avg 44 min
English

Episodes 23

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August 19 · 1 hr
25 Years Later: The state of Al Qaeda
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.
August 17 · 1 hr 32 min
UN report: The jihad’s new center of gravity
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
August 14 · 41 min
China, Russia, Iran, North Korea: Inside the Axis of Aggressors, Part 2
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/
August 11 · 34 min
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.
August 7 · 44 min
Losing ground: Somalia and Mali's jihad problem
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.
July 29 · 42 min
Seeking forgiveness from the Taliban
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.
July 24 · 49 min
What is Iran’s breaking point? Part 2
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/
July 22 · 38 min
What is Iran's 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.
July 14 · 44 min
The Blockade’s Back: US-Iran MOU Unravels
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.
July 7 · 30 min
Iraq’s Proxy Problem
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.
July 2 · 34 min
Hezbollah’s Moment of Truth
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?
June 24 · 1 hr 1 min
Is the MOU DOA?
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.
June 17 · 57 min
Fog of the Deal
President Donald Trump said that a two-page memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed between the US 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? FDD Senior Fellow David Daoud and Bill Roggio speculate on what will become of the Middle East and America’s influence in the region as this very thin MOU moves forward.
June 2 · 29 min
Gaza: Smoldering Battlefield?
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?
May 29 · 43 min
The Next Caliphate Battleground
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.
May 28 · 39 min
Everybody Wants a McWar
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.
May 18 · 33 min
Dune: The Brotherhood Jihad
Before Hamas. Before Al-Qaeda. Before the Islamic State. There was... (🥁) The Muslim Brotherhood. And for nearly a century, it has played the long game by building influence across the Middle East and even deep inside the West. But what exactly is it — a political movement? A terrorist organization? The ideological engine behind modern Islamism? Some combination? Bill is joined again by longtime friend of the show Edmund Fitton-Brown, now his colleague at FDD, to discuss.
May 13 · 58 min
POV: FPV (or: "The Anarchist Cookbook of War")
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.
May 7 · 29 min
Iran's Nukes: Degraded but not Dead
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.
May 5 · 35 min
Gridlock at the Strait
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.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes