For more than a quarter of a century, the spread of terrorism in the Middle East and abroad in the wake of the rise of militant Islamist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) has been at the center stage of policy making in and on the region. After the slow but steady downfall of Al-Qaeda and the territorial defeat of IS in Iraq and Syria, we are now at a critical point where it is necessary to rethink extremism, radicalization, and the ‘Global War on Terror’ in a more updated and proper context.