They have allied with Somalia’s Islamist Shabab movement and they dominate the Sahel in sub-Saharan Africa. Al-Qaida affiliates now control cities in Bin Laden’s ancestral land of Yemen and the entire region of North Mali. However, despite US electoral pressures pushing for another ‘mission accomplished’ moment, it is prudent to remember that since Bin Laden’s death al-Qaeda has actually achieved what it could not during his lifetime.

The perception that al-Qaeda is no longer a threat was compounded by Osama Bin Laden’s killing in May last year.

Finally, this recruiter is usually adept at spinning an ideological narrative, helping to them make sense of the world and its ills with a catch all explanation.

Into the confusion steps a charismatic recruiter, usually someone who can provide a sense of safety and security for the person experiencing a level of disillusionment from the mainstream.

This pushes the individual to reject the identity, country and people of their land of birth, instead adopting a form of recalibrated transnational camaraderie with other disenchanted like-minds.

Secondly, an identity crisis is also an important factor in creating the desire to seek out a sub-culture.

For the purposes of understanding what motivates an individual, the mere perception of a grievance suffices here.

Grievances and lack of an outlet to express them– whether real or perceived – are essential in pushing the potential extremists to seek out alternative sub-cultures and narratives.

In my experience, these factors apply across the board, and are not restricted merely to Islamist extremism, and they can occur in any order, and with varying levels of intensity depending on the person and circumstances.

Radical by Maajid Nawaz