Dr Elisabeth Kendall discusses how al-Qa’ida wins hearts and minds in Yemen

Elisabeth Kendall has given a number of talks, at the University of Glasgow and at Chatham House, on the hidden pull of Militant Jihad.

Elisabeth talks about how al-Qa’ida is successfully portraying itself as the ‘moderate’ force for Militant Jihad in Yemen, in contrast to Islamic State’s more media-driven brutality.  She draws on her research which shows that al-Qa’ida is focusing on winning support on a local level through community projects, filling a gap that the beleaguered machinery of state cannot provide.

You can hear the full talk at Chatham House by clicking here: https://www.chathamhouse.org/file/jihadism-transformed-al-qaeda-and-islamic-state-s-global-battle-ideas

Dr Elisabeth Kendall is Senior Research Fellow in Arabic & Islamic Studies at Pembroke College Oxford and a team member of DPIR’s ‘Support for Democracy in Egypt’ project.