FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing: Understanding ISIS Ideology and Goals

Original title: INSIDE THE MIND OF ISIS: UNDERSTANDING ITS GOALS AND IDEOLOGY TO BETTER PROTECT THE HOMELAND

January 1, 2017

national security ISIS counter-terrorism ideology homeland security

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing provided a formal record of expert analysis on ISIS's motivations and territorial strategies, intended to guide federal counter-terrorism policy and homeland security decision-making.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

The committee members are responsible for using the testimony to inform future legislative and oversight actions regarding national security.

General Public

The public is affected by the resulting federal policies and security strategies developed based on the information presented in the hearing.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2017.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript of a 2016 Senate Committee on Homeland Security hearing focused on analyzing the ideology and strategic goals of ISIS. The hearing featured expert testimony from academic and policy researchers to inform federal efforts in protecting the homeland.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on January 20, 2016, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The hearing was convened by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The primary objective was to understand the goals and ideology of ISIS to improve homeland security.
The hearing was inspired by an article titled 'Inside the Mind of ISIS' by Graeme Wood.
Four expert witnesses provided testimony: Bernard Haykel, Jessica Stern, Lorenzo Vidino, and Hedieh Mirahmadi.
The committee accepted written opening statements from Chairman Johnson and Senator Carper into the record.
The hearing included a formal question-and-answer session with witnesses and post-hearing responses for the record.

Why It Matters

The hearing provided a formal record of expert analysis on ISIS's motivations and territorial strategies, intended to guide federal counter-terrorism policy and homeland security decision-making.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

The hearing was held to examine the ideology and strategic goals of ISIS to help policymakers better understand the group and protect the U.S. homeland.

Who testified at the hearing?

The witnesses were Bernard Haykel (Princeton University), Jessica Stern (Boston University), Lorenzo Vidino (George Washington University), and Hedieh Mirahmadi (World Organization for Resource Development and Education).

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Influence of Media on Policy

The hearing explicitly cites a specific magazine article ('Inside the Mind of ISIS' by Graeme Wood) as the catalyst for the committee's decision to hold the hearing.

Graeme Wood Ron Johnson

Connected Entities

personBernard Haykel“Witness, Director of the Institute of Transregional Studies at Princeton Univers”Map →

personGraeme Wood“Author of 'Inside the Mind of ISIS' article in The Atlantic”Map →

personRon Johnson“Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs”Map →

personLorenzo Vidino“Witness, Director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University”Map →

personHedieh Mirahmadi“Witness, President of the World Organization for Resource Development and Educat”Map →

personJessica Stern“Witness, Research Professor at Boston University”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz5
Current news / social attention level

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