Baghdadi's 'martyrdom bump' will be short-lived
It is clear that the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will damage the organisational and strategic capacity of the already beleaguered Islamic State. But will it meaningfully undermine the popularity of Baghdadi’s militant ideas? Data we analysed from jihadi websites suggests that the answer is no.
The death of al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, sparked a debate about whether his death might help lessen the appeal of his ideas or inadvertently make them more popular than ever.
Foreign Policy
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