AQAP: Inspiring Jihadists During Times of Failure and Defeat

The fourth edition of Inspire, the English-language jihadist magazine issued by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's propaganda wing, al-Malahem media, was released via the Internet over the weekend of Jan. 15-16. Though this edition concerns itself with themes such as the compulsory nature of jihad, as well as the freedom to engage in extralegal activities to finance jihad, it also contains the undeniable yet unintended themes of failure and defeat. The failures and defeats experienced by jihadists of late are causing desperation in the jihadist mindset, a desperation this edition of Inspire is unlikely to remedy.