'Historical Opportunity'? How Terror Groups Can Exploit Trump, His MAGA Agenda For Own Expansion

Last Updated:January 13, 2026, 00:40 IST

A newly released document by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula states that it believes current shifts in western foreign policy will trigger a period of "widespread instability"

A newly released document by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula gives details on the group's views on the Trump administration. (Image: Sourced)

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have identified the Trump administration in the United States as a “historical opportunity" for forwarding their own agenda, as per a newly released document by the terror organisation. 

According to this document, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) believes that current shifts in western foreign policy will trigger a period of “widespread instability".

The document states that the strategic outlook of AQAP is of the world heading toward a third world war that will ultimately redraw global maps, providing a vacuum that jihadi groups can exploit for their own geopolitical ambitions. It said the organisation posits that US President Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) agenda is a primary driver for the accelerated downfall of the NATO, Europe, and broader western alliance system.

Under Trump, the soft power of the US has effectively collapsed, replaced by a reliance on “brute force", as per the document. This transition is expected to intensify East-West rivalries involving powers such as China, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, it said. The group believes these powers will “mutually exhaust both sides", thereby indirectly benefiting jihadi movements without the need for formal alliances, it added.

Intelligence reports, meanwhile, indicate that jihadi networks, including the AQAP, are actively using these geopolitical conflicts as prime recruitment and radicalisation opportunities. Top intelligence sources highlighted that Al-Qaeda and its various affiliates are increasingly using digital platforms and regional propaganda networks to spread their ideology within India and the wider subcontinent.

The sources said this digital expansion is part of a broader strategy to exploit economic crises and rising inequality in global societies, including Arab nations, to expand their influence across the Middle East and Asia.

WHAT IS THE AQAP?

The AQAP’s violent history underscores its global strategic role. Since its formation in 2009, it has carried out numerous high-profile attacks, including the 2009 assassination attempt on Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Nayif and the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

In a 2009 video statement, the group’s leadership described a mission to extend support to jihad in Palestine, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan to defend what they term “our lands and our sacred things".

A document by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) defines AQAP as an affiliate of the Al-Qaeda network based in Yemen. The group was formally established in January 2009 when Nasir ‘abd-al-Karim ‘Abdullah al-Wahishi announced that Al-Qaeda operatives from Yemen and Saudi Arabia had joined forces, effectively incorporating Al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQY) into the AQAP.

The UNSC notes that the organisation has been responsible for planning and carrying out attacks against the US Embassy in Yemen, oil facilities, and various international targets.

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