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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

“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

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

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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

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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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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

Sorry, haven't been on here for a couple of months. Had no idea.

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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

Ubi cedunt, victoriam 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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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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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin

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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Reposted by Aaron Y. Zelin

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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