Political Scene: The Resurgence of Al Qaeda: The New Yorker On this week's Political Scene podcast, Dexter Filkins and Lawrence Wright join Dorothy Wickenden to discuss the troubling resurgence of Al Qaeda in Iraq and Syria. In 2004, Filkins covered the battle for the city of Fallujah, which routed extremist forces and marked an important milestone for the American effort in Iraq. "And this week, once again," he says, "the black flag of Al Qaeda was raised over Fallujah. Which is pretty depressing, I think, to everyone involved. He notes that tensions between groups within Iraq have been aggravated by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's strained relationship with the country's Sunni minority. Which one is more driving the violence? Filkins asks. Is it Syria, or is it Maliki himself? Lawrence Wright, who wrote in this week's magazine about the events leading to 9/11, points to the changing social and political forces dividing the region: There's an interesting trend going on right now. There's a reaction against Islamism throughout the Islamic world. At the same time, there's a proliferation of these radical groups. So I see these tectonic plates moving. I don't know where it's all headed, but even within jihadi circles there's a kind of civil war going on. For more, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or XML, and become a fan of the Political Scene on Facebook. Photograph by Daniel Leal-Olivas/Corbis.