From ISIS-Inspired Lone Actors to AI-Enabled Extremism The terrorism landscape confronting the United States in 2026 is profoundly different from the post-9/11 era. The centralized, hierarchical terrorist organizations that once dominated U.S. counterterrorism strategy have increasingly given way to decentralized networks, self-radicalized individuals, encrypted digital ecosystems, and AI-enhanced extremist operations. Modern terrorism is no longer…

