Abu Mohammad al-Jolani has worked for years to rebrand himself, but has he truly broken from his al Qaeda past? Read Institute Levy Senior Fellow Aaron Y. Zelin's interview with Foreign Policy reporter John Haltiwanger.
Recent Institute Analysis
Q&A: Aaron Y. Zelin on What to Know About the Man Who Toppled Assad
In Focus: Tehran's Nuclear Choices, Washington's Strategic Options
Podcast Episode
Will the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire announced in November hold? Ziegler Distinguished Fellow David Makovsky sits down with Amos Harel, one of Israel’s leading military analysts and a senior correspondent for Haaretz to unpack the agreement, its implications for the region, and whether it can endure long enough to offer lasting security for peoples on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.
Listen to this and other episodes of the Decision Points podcast.
In-Depth Study
Interactive Map: ISIS Global Activity
Under the leadership of jihadism scholar Aaron Zelin, a team of researchers at The Washington Institute has built the Islamic State Select Worldwide Activity Map, an interactive tool that provides a more accessible way to search, track, and understand the organization’s global reach. It represents the most comprehensive public archive of the group’s attack data, media output, government designations, and legal cases — information that is becoming invaluable as IS affiliates disperse into a wider range of jurisdictions and the U.S. government continues shifting resources away from the global counterterrorism fight.
Iranian External Operations Map and Timeline
Militia Spotlight
Recent Webcasts: Expert Policy Conversations
Maritime Spotlight
Interactive Tool: Tracking Maritime Attacks in Middle East Waters Since 2019
This interactive map documents the extent to which Houthi forces, their Iranian military patrons, and other actors have been targeting vessels in regional waterways for years, including well before the Hamas-Israel war.
