Tricia Bacon

Senior Associate (Non-resident), Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program
Tricia Bacon

Tricia Bacon is a professor at American University's School of Public Affairs. She also directs AURORA, American University's open-source intelligence analysis initiative. She is the author of The Counterinsurgency Dilemma: Foreign Fighter Influence on Insurgencies in Afghanistan and Somalia (Stanford University Press, 2026); Terror in Transition: Leadership and Succession in Terrorist Organizations (Columbia University Press, 2022); and Why Terrorist Organizations Form International Alliances (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018). Prior to her employment at American University, Dr. Bacon worked on counterterrorism for over 10 years at the Department of State, including in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, the Bureau of Counterterrorism, and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Her work on counterterrorism in the intelligence community received numerous accolades, and she conducted research and analysis on counterterrorism, focusing on South Asia and Africa. Dr. Bacon is a non-resident associate fellow with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. She serves on the editorial boards of Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, Perspectives on Terrorism, and the Journal of the Middle East and Africa. Her research focuses on the behavior and decision-making of terrorist and insurgent groups, U.S. counterterrorism policy, and the role of intelligence in national security decision-making. She has published articles on terrorist group alliances, terrorist leadership, terrorist safe havens, and other related topics.

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The Islamic State in Khorasan Province: Exploiting a Counterterrorism Gap

The attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow in March 2024 demonstrates that not only is the Islamic State in Khorasan Province the Islamic State's most dangerous affiliate, but also that it has effectively exploited gaps in current international counterterrorism efforts.

Commentary by Tricia Bacon — April 11, 2024