Abstract

The essay aims at delineating the deep changes that the jihadi galaxy has undergone at the doctrinal, operative and socio-political level since 2011, outlining the challenges it had to face, the different answers it tried to provide and the effects of the rivalry between al-Qa'ida and the self-proclaimed Islamic State. In doing so it presents a movement much more complex than generally assumed, describing a series of trends potentially able to alter dramatically its internal and external dynamics.