Project Summary: The Evolution of Terrorist Groups Terrorist groups have been in existence for thousands of years. For example, in the first century Jewish Zealots were fighting to keep Roman rule out of Judea. Today, Al Qaeda fights against perceived enemies of Islam. In some ways, modern terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda resemble their ancient ancestors in terms of their motivations and some of their tactics; in other ways, they are considerably different. In this Discussion, you consider characteristics that distinguish modern terrorist groups from those in existence prior to 1990. Then you reflect on how terrorist groups have evolved. Examining the evolution of terrorist groups is a useful tool in determining future terrorist threats, which you will do later on in the course.