What’s driving down the number of terrorist attacks?
US State Department argues the decline was caused by the near-defeat of armed groups such as ISIL.
There has been a fall by almost one-quarter in the number of attacks by armed groups worldwide last year.
That is one of the conclusions of the US State Department’s latest annual survey of global terrorism
But Iran will not welcome another of the survey’s highlights. The Americans single out the Iranians as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
Iran is accused of intensifying many conflicts especially in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen and continued backing groups such as Hezbollah.
The US government says Hezbollah fighters based in Lebanon have gone from strength to strength, emboldened by their battlefield experience in Syria.
In addition, the US accuses Iran of undermining legitimate governments and American interests in the Middle East.
So, what now for the so-called “global war on terror“?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra
Guests:
Ibrahim Fraihat – Associate professor of conflict resolution, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
Hamed Mousavi – Professor of political science, University of Tehran
Hillary Mann-Leverett – Former US State Department negotiator