Dear teachers,

I cannot understand the meaning of this expression, which I found in the following excerpt from an article published by Foreign Affairs. I would be very grateful I you could help me make clear its meaning and the author's point.

"Nonviolent Islamists are among the most effective rivals of al Qaeda and similar organizations. This is one of the lessons of Iraq, where the rejection by nationalist jihadist factions of the more extreme, globalist cadre of al Qaeda's Iraqi franchise helped turn the tide in favor of the United States".

Best,

Enrico