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Aaron Y. Zelin

@azelin.bsky.social
12K followers 735 following 1.3K posts

Senior Fellow @ Washington Institute for Near East Policy | Visiting Research Scholar in Dept of Politics @ Brandeis | Founder of Jihadology | Author of “The Age of Political Jihadism: A Study of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” jihadology.net jihadologyplus.com

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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The most underrated consequence of 9/11 might be the institutional knowledge the U.S. built afterward, writes @azelin.bsky.social. This “helped Washington disrupt terrorist networks, identify emerging organizations, and understand how local insurgencies could evolve into transnational threats.”
alhurra.com
9/11 Led to an Explosion of Counter-terrorism Expertise. Are We Squandering It? | Alhurra
The most underrated consequence of 9/11 may be the creation of an extraordinary American counterterrorism knowledge base – and the danger posed by its gradual disappearance. Before September 11, th…
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
One often overlooked legacy of 9/11 is “the institutional knowledge America built” after al-Qaeda's attacks, writes @azelin.bsky.social for MBN. It took 25 years for Washington to build this ecosystem, but it “could disappear much faster.”
alhurra.com
9/11 Led to an Explosion of Counter-terrorism Expertise. Are We Squandering It? | Alhurra
The most underrated consequence of 9/11 may be the creation of an extraordinary American counterterrorism knowledge base – and the danger posed by its gradual disappearance. Before September 11, th…
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“Twenty-five years after al-Qaeda’s attacks on New York and Washington, the global jihadi movement is at once larger, more geographically dispersed, and less central to American strategic thinking than at any point since September 11, 2001,” writes @azelin.bsky.social for The Soufan Center.
washingtoninstitute.org
The Fate of Global Jihadism Today: Internally Resilient, Strategically Deprioritized
Although America’s defensive and preventive mechanisms are much stronger today, the global jihadist situation in 2026 is uncomfortably similar to the 1990s, when the movement was treated as a manageab...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“The most underrated consequence of 9/11 may be the creation of an extraordinary American counterterrorism knowledge base and the danger posed by its gradual disappearance,” writes @azelin.bsky.social for MBN.
alhurra.com
9/11 Led to an Explosion of Counter-terrorism Expertise. Are We Squandering It? | Alhurra
The most underrated consequence of 9/11 may be the creation of an extraordinary American counterterrorism knowledge base – and the danger posed by its gradual disappearance. Before September 11, th…
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"9/11 Led to an Explosion of Counter-terrorism Expertise. Are We Squandering It?" - my new piece for MBN Magazine alhurra.com/en/37298
alhurra.com
9/11 Led to an Explosion of Counter-terrorism Expertise. Are We Squandering It? | Alhurra
The most underrated consequence of 9/11 may be the creation of an extraordinary American counterterrorism knowledge base – and the danger posed by its gradual disappearance. Before September 11, th…
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
When Tunisians Fired the Start Gun for 9/11 The 9/11 attacks actually began two days beforehand with the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud It was conducted by two Tunisians. @azelin.bsky.social www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
When Tunisians Fired the Start Gun for 9/11
A footnote in one decade of jihadist history can become a major mobilizer for terrorists and foreign fighters in subsequent years, and few cases illustrate this problem better than the Tunisian operat...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“While many in the counterterrorism community retain institutional knowledge of lessons learned after 9/11, that knowledge is likely to erode over time as resources are reallocated toward other security challenges and a younger generation,” writes @azelin.bsky.social for the Soufan Center.
washingtoninstitute.org
The Fate of Global Jihadism Today: Internally Resilient, Strategically Deprioritized
Although America’s defensive and preventive mechanisms are much stronger today, the global jihadist situation in 2026 is uncomfortably similar to the 1990s, when the movement was treated as a manageab...
031
Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
America’s defenses are stronger today, but the global jihadist situation today is similar to the 1990s, when the movement “was treated as a manageable nuisance at the periphery of a strategic agenda,” writes @azelin.bsky.social for the Soufan Center.
washingtoninstitute.org
The Fate of Global Jihadism Today: Internally Resilient, Strategically Deprioritized
Although America’s defensive and preventive mechanisms are much stronger today, the global jihadist situation in 2026 is uncomfortably similar to the 1990s, when the movement was treated as a manageab...
032
Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Twenty-five years ago today, two jihadists helped carry out the assassination of Afghan Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. In 2021, @azelin.bsky.social explained why this marked a critical turning point.
washingtoninstitute.org
When Tunisians Fired the Start Gun for 9/11
A footnote in one decade of jihadist history can become a major mobilizer for terrorists and foreign fighters in subsequent years, and few cases illustrate this problem better than the Tunisian operat...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Five years ago, the Taliban again seized power in Afghanistan. Here are three things @azelin.bsky.social is watching, including growing international acceptance of Taliban rule and the new regional dynamics due to the Iran war.
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“What is notable is the ease with which Gen AI allows users to remix jihadi imagery [that] can circulate across communities whose interest may be driven as much by violence, trolling, or notoriety as by actual commitment to jihadi ideology,” @azelin.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/gen-ai...
wired.com
Gen AI Tools Are Now Being Used to Push ‘Slop Jihad’
A new generation of Islamic terror supporters are using AI to spread ‘Slop Jihad’ to new audiences on TikTok.
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Hurst Publishers @hurstpublishers.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
🇹🇳 Now available: 'Female Jihadis' by Leila Ben Mcharek. Why has Tunisia, widely considered an Arab Spring ‘success story’, seen such an explosion in violent Islamism among its women? ‘A detailed empirical portrait.’ @azelin.bsky.social Get 30% off w/code FEMALE30 ➡️ tinyurl.com/3s2um7wz
tinyurl.com
Female Jihadis | Hurst Publishers
Why has Tunisia, widely considered an Arab Spring ‘success story’, seen such an explosion in violent Islamism among its women?
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Aron Lund @aronlund.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Must-read if you’re interested in Syria or transnational jihadism: a deeply researched, nuanced @azelin.bsky.social piece on how to handle Syria’s foreign volunteer contingent, which makes some interesting historical comparisons with the Bosnia situation. ctc.westpoint.edu/managing-the...
ctc.westpoint.edu
Managing the Muhajirin: The Future of Syria’s Foreign Fighters - Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract: The disposition of the foreign fighters who helped topple the Assad regime has become one of the defining tests of Syria’s transition, and of the West’s willingness to deal with the governme...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Five years ago, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Here are three things Institute expert @azelin.bsky.social is watching.
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I have a new book chapter in @colinpclarke.bsky.social and Clara Broekaert edited volume on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks: "The Fate of Global Jihadism Today: Internally Resilient, Strategically Deprioritized" thesoufancenter.org/wp-content/u...
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I have a new book chapter in @colinpclarke.bsky.social and Clara Broekaert edited volume on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks: "The Fate of Global Jihadism Today: Internally Resilient, Strategically Deprioritized" thesoufancenter.org/wp-content/u...
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
👇🏼
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Benjamin Farley @brfarley.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Highly recommend this article and I hope US policymakers on my former beat read it. I’d add that integration + citizenship puts the new Syrian government on the hook for any subsequent international bad acts by the fmr foreign fighters.
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Check out my new article for CTC Sentinel: "Managing the Muhajirin: The Future of Syria’s Foreign Fighters" ctc.westpoint.edu/managing-the...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Craig Whiteside @craigwhiteside.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
New from @azelin.bsky.social ctc.westpoint.edu/managing-the...
ctc.westpoint.edu
Managing the Muhajirin: The Future of Syria’s Foreign Fighters - Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract: The disposition of the foreign fighters who helped topple the Assad regime has become one of the defining tests of Syria’s transition, and of the West’s willingness to deal with the governme...
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Check out my new article for CTC Sentinel: "Managing the Muhajirin: The Future of Syria’s Foreign Fighters" ctc.westpoint.edu/managing-the...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
"Washington’s objectives in Syria will be directly affected by how well the new government is able to channel grievances through institutions, apply laws predictably across communities, and give minorities confidence in state protection," writes @azelin.bsky.social.
washingtoninstitute.org
Assad’s Speech Laws Are Putting Syria’s Security and Reconstruction at Risk
With Assad-era laws increasingly triggered by private complaints and enforced unevenly, U.S. officials can no longer relegate these issues to secondary tracks or assume that core administration object...
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Over the past 5 years, I’ve tracked the Taliban’s diplomatic engagements since the U.S. withdrawal For my analysis on it see: www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Check out my new article for the @washinstitute.bsky.social: "Five Years of Taliban Diplomacy: Recognition Without Concessions" www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Five Years of Taliban Diplomacy: Recognition Without Concessions
The Taliban has learned that it can reap substantial international rewards without budging on key security and human rights issues, but Washington can still exert pressure on crucial soft spots such a...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
In March 2023, the Institute launched the Islamic State Select Worldwide Activity Map, a project spearheaded by @azelin.bsky.social. Three years later, the picture provided by this map has changed in ways that both confirm and complicate the trends identified at its one-year mark.
washingtoninstitute.org
Tracking the Islamic State: Activity Trends, African Shifts, and U.S. Dormancy
As a landmark tool for tracking the group’s activity hits another sobering milestone, U.S. officials cannot let regional crises completely overshadow important shifts in jihadist threats around the wo...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Washington should treat the current protest wave in Syria not as a sign that the country's transition is failing, "but as an opportunity to help ensure that Damascus does not repeat the mistakes of previous Syrian governments," writes @azelin.bsky.social.
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria’s Protest Wave: A Governance Stress Test
Washington should treat the recent public discontent not as a sign that Syria’s transition is failing, but as an opportunity to help ensure that Damascus does not repeat the mistakes of previous gover...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
New analysis from me on tracking the Islamic State through the Worldwide Activity Map over the past 3+ years www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Tracking the Islamic State: Activity Trends, African Shifts, and U.S. Dormancy
As a landmark tool for tracking the group’s activity hits another sobering milestone, U.S. officials cannot let regional crises completely overshadow important shifts in jihadist threats around the wo...
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
New analysis from me on tracking the Islamic State through the Worldwide Activity Map over the past 3+ years www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Tracking the Islamic State: Activity Trends, African Shifts, and U.S. Dormancy
As a landmark tool for tracking the group’s activity hits another sobering milestone, U.S. officials cannot let regional crises completely overshadow important shifts in jihadist threats around the wo...
0156
Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Check out my new article for @washinstitute.bsky.social: “Syria’s Protest Wave: A Governance Stress Test” www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria’s Protest Wave: A Governance Stress Test
Washington should treat the recent public discontent not as a sign that Syria’s transition is failing, but as an opportunity to help ensure that Damascus does not repeat the mistakes of previous gover...
033
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Check out my new article for @washinstitute.bsky.social: “Syria’s Protest Wave: A Governance Stress Test” www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria’s Protest Wave: A Governance Stress Test
Washington should treat the recent public discontent not as a sign that Syria’s transition is failing, but as an opportunity to help ensure that Damascus does not repeat the mistakes of previous gover...
033
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Check out my new article for the @washinstitute.bsky.social: “Syria’s New Government Appointments: More Continuity Than Change” www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria’s New Government Appointments: More Continuity Than Change
The years that President Sharaa’s circle spent managing Idlib province now look less like improvised wartime governance and more like a deliberate long-term project to build the cadres of a future sta...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
New article on Syria in the context of the Iran regional war www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis
The war’s effects on Syria have largely fallen below the radar, yet no one should forget how much has changed there since 2024, nor how important it is to preserve the government’s accomplishments aga...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Check out my new article for The Washington Institute For Near East Policy: "Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis" www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis
The war’s effects on Syria have largely fallen below the radar, yet no one should forget how much has changed there since 2024, nor how important it is to preserve the government’s accomplishments aga...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Christopher Solomon @chris-solomon.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Good piece on Syria in the midst of the Iran War by @azelin.bsky.social www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis
The war’s effects on Syria have largely fallen below the radar, yet no one should forget how much has changed there since 2024, nor how important it is to preserve the government’s accomplishments aga...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
ubi cedunt, vincere se appellant @pt109.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
“[al-Sharaa] called for the creation of a joint military operations room between Gulf and Levantine states—partly to strengthen Arab unity against Iran, but also to make sure that Israel cannot impose its will over the region if Tehran is permanently weakened after the war.” Fascinating read:
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
New article on Syria in the context of the Iran regional war www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis
The war’s effects on Syria have largely fallen below the radar, yet no one should forget how much has changed there since 2024, nor how important it is to preserve the government’s accomplishments aga...
0116
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Check out my new article for The Washington Institute For Near East Policy: "Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis" www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Syria Is Feeling the Fallout from the Iran Crisis
The war’s effects on Syria have largely fallen below the radar, yet no one should forget how much has changed there since 2024, nor how important it is to preserve the government’s accomplishments aga...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Check out my new article for @WashInstitute: “Examining the Terrorism and Insurgency Links Between AfPak and Iran” www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Examining the Terrorism and Insurgency Links Between AfPak and Iran
The two conflicts may appear unrelated, but an al-Qaeda haven in Iran, threats from the Islamic State, and separatist ambitions could supercharge the risks to regional and global security.
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Aaron Y. Zelin @azelin.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Check out my new article for @WashInstitute: “Examining the Terrorism and Insurgency Links Between AfPak and Iran” www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...
washingtoninstitute.org
Examining the Terrorism and Insurgency Links Between AfPak and Iran
The two conflicts may appear unrelated, but an al-Qaeda haven in Iran, threats from the Islamic State, and separatist ambitions could supercharge the risks to regional and global security.
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy @washinstitute.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
How will the Syrian government handle the fight with IS in the northeast? Several factors could make the northeast mission more complicated than what Sharaa and his supporters have dealt with elsewhere, writes @azelin.bsky.social.
washingtoninstitute.org
Kurdish Collapse in Northeast Syria? Key Things to Watch
Washington Institute experts assess the immediate fallout of the Syrian government’s advance into SDF-held parts of the northeast, including mutual disinformation campaigns, implications for the Islam...
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
ICE kidnapped a 5-year-old and sent him alone to a facility in Texas. Hell isn't hot enough.
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
I’ve been reading Trump’s "Board of Peace Charter," and despite the name, this isn’t a multilateral institution, it’s a centralised structure built entirely around the authority of one person (Trump). www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-ch...
timesofisrael.com
Full text: Charter of Trump’s Board of Peace
No mention of Gaza, which bolsters ToI's reporting that US also envisions panel helping resolve other conflicts worldwide; member countries must pay $1 billion for permanent spot
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
This is insane not just the explicit "go break the 4A" substance but how they knew how bad it was, acting in guilty paranoia to cover it up and suppress the written evidence. This isn't how running a government agency works. This is what a criminal conspiracy looks like, because that's what it is.
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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin
Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Wrote about how John Roberts and Donald Trump have turned the Department of Justice into a corrupt mobbed up law firm whose only purpose is to enable Trump’s persecution of his enemies and protection of his allies www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Under the new conservative consensus on presidential power, Trump is welcome to refuse to  investigate when government agents shoot Americans in the face, and he is welcome to try to charge their loved ones with crimes. He can openly blackmail government officials to manipulate the economy or to silence political opposition. No one can stop him from directing the Justice Department to indict his enemies for non-crimes while ignoring or pardoning the actual crimes of his political allies. He is free to be a tyrant, because the boss is the boss. But to me, it seems unlikely that the founding generation, in rebelling against a monarch, was looking to replace him with an even more wretched class of despot.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
🚨HOLY CRAP. An ICE whistleblower just revealed a secret memo authorizing ICE officers to break into homes without a judicial warrant, which DHS's own legal training materials say is unconstitutional! ICE then hid the memo from the public, passing it along by word of mouth and private conversation.
The Gravamen of the Disclosure

4. The gravamen of the disclosure is as follows: 
a. By memorandum dated May 12, 2025 (“the May 12 Memo”), Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons authorizes ICE agents to forcibly enter into certain people’s homes without a judicial warrant, consent, or an emergency.

b. Specifically, in the May 12 Memo, the Acting ICE Director authorized ICE Agents to rely on Form I-205 (which is not a judicial warrant) to enter the residence of an alien subject to a final order of deportation, without consent, including by “a necessary and reasonable amount of force.”2c. While addressed to “All ICE Personnel,” in practice the May 12 Memo has not been formally distributed to all personnel. Instead, the May 12 Memo has been provided to select DHS officials who are then directed to verbally brief the new policy for action. Those supervisors then show the Memo to some employees, like our clients, and direct them to read the Memo and return it to the supervisor.
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Scoiattolo @scarnecchia.net · 21/01/2026
This is a photo of someone being tortured, not someone being restrained
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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Spraying pepper spray directly into the eyes of a detained person who’s already fully subdued
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Mignon Fogarty @grammargirl.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Yesterday, I interviewed a tech guy who told me something too important for me to wait until the podcast comes out for you to hear it: Many free AI detectors have especially high false positive rates because they make money selling software that "humanizes" writing. 1/2
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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
I refuse to accept anything other than the resignation and immediate retirement of all of these fucking corporate candy-ass Democratic cowards. They’ve lost the right to do anything but get out of the way and live in disgrace for the rest of their days.
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