The articles in this issue provide an overview of four prominent personalities and their association with political violence in respective countries. The individuals profiled in this issue demonstrate that there is no single pathway to radicalisation and violence, and the predisposition to violence hinges on a combination of personal and social factors, including, but not limited to, the concerned person’s leadership qualities like religious scholarship and persuasive oratory skills.

Matthew Graham examines the rise of Omar al Shishani, the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS)’s Chechen commander.  While Omar al Shishani has brought some members of Jaish al Muhajireen (JMA) – the group which he was formerly aligned – closer to ISIS, other JMA members have joined ISIS’ rival, Jabhat Al Nusra (JN), which has the potential to weaken the appeal of the Islamic State.

Abdul Basit profiles Afghan Taliban’s new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, a senior commander of the Taliban regime with close ties to the Pakistani military establishment and the future of the group as it confronts tough choices – whether to negotiate a peace and power-sharing deal or continue with the spate of violence as it has been doing since 2001

Sara Mahmood offers an account of Malik Ishaq, one of Pakistan’s most feared terrorists and the leader of the anti-Shi’ite group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), finding that that his involvement in sectarian killings have left a mark on the country’s Sunni-Shia divide.

In her article, Aida Arosoaie, demonstrates how, Hadi Al-Amiri’s growing military and political clout has not only made the Badr Organisation an indispensable counter-weight against Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) but also brought the spectre of increased insecurity and instability for Iraq  due to his indulgence in bloody sectarian campaigns.