JihadPod

Thomas Hegghammer talks to Aaron about his new paper, "Assessing the Islamic State's Commitment to Attacking the West," in Perspectives on Terrorism, co-authored with Petter Nesser. This episode also features our #SocialMedia segment, covering posts from August 3rd to August 9th.

Links:

• Perspectives on Terrorism Vol 9, No 4 (2015) – featuring papers by Thomas, Aaron, and many more. The journal is open source, so no subscription is required.
• Thomas Hegghammer (@Hegghammer) | Twitter
• Frontpage | Thomas Hegghammer – Thomas' personal site.
• Thomas Hegghammer | Norwegian Defence Research Establishment – Academia.edu

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected], or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

In this episode Aaron talks to Jacob Zenn about the group commonly referred to as Boko Haram. They covered a variety of topics including:

• Background on Wilayat Gharb Ifriqiyya
• Misuse of the term Boko Haram to describe what is now called Wilayat Gharb Ifriqiyya, but previously was Jama'at Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-Da'wah wa-l-Jihad
• Process that led Jama'at Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-Da'wah wa-l-Jihad to pledge bay'a to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and become Wilayat Gharb Ifriyya of The Islamic State?
• Current status of Wilayat Gharb Ifriqiyya in Nigeria over the past few months
• Key questions and observations Jacob is currently looking at to see how situation might develop in the future

This episode also features a discussion of primary source material released between July 18th to August 1st, and a #SocialMedia segment covering posts from July 28th to August 3rd.

Links:

• Mindful of the Islamic State, Boko Haram Broadens Reach into Lake Chad Region – The Jamestown Foundation
• A Biography of Boko Haram and the Bay`a to al-Baghdadi – CTC Sentinel
• Women, Gender and the evolving tactics of Boko Haram – Journal of Terrorism Research
• Nigerian al-Qaedaism – excerpt from Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, Vol. 16 (PDF)
• Bokostan (@BokoWatch) | Twitter
• The Clairvoyant: Boko Haram's Media and The Islamic State Connection? by Aaron Y. Zelin – Jihadology

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected], or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

In this emergency podcast Aaron talks to J.M. Berger about the confirmed death of Mullah Omar. They covered a variety of topics related to his death and what it could mean for the broader Islamic State – Al Qaeda war. We also have a new #SocialMedia segment, covering postings from July 22-28.

Links:

• J.M. Berger (@intelwire) | Twitter
• Mullah Omar and the AQ-ISIS War by J.M. Berger on IntelWire
• ISIS: The State of Terror: Jessica Stern, J. M. Berger
• Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam: J. M. Berger
• U.S. Relations with the Islamic World | Brookings Institution
• INTELWIRE.com

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected], or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

This episode features part 2 of Aaron's conversation with Don Rassler. If you haven't heard part 1 you can find it here. This two part series is based on Don's article, "Situating the Emergence of the Islamic State of Khorasan," in the CTC Sentinel. This episode covers a variety of topics related to the Islamic State in the AfPak region, including:

• Important events since Don's article came out in March
• The relevance of the Afghan Taliban to younger generations
• How the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan plays into this situation
• Al Qaeda's relevance to, and role in, the region
• How the presence of the Islamic State could affect the Afghan peace process

This episode also features our #SocialMedia segment, covering postings from July 11th to July 22nd.

Links:

• Mr. Don Rassler | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
• Don Rassler (@DonRassler) | Twitter
• TTP Says That Baghdadi's Caliphate Is Not Islamic—But Is Anyone Listening? by Dur-e-Aden on Jihadology.net

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected] or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

This episode features part one of an interview with Don Rassler based on his article "Situating the Emergence of the Islamic State of Khorasan," for the CTC Sentinel. This part of the conversation covers the development of the Islamic State's presence in the AfPak region, as well as relevant groups and individuals in the region.

This episode also covers jihadi primary source material released from June 25th-July 17th.

Links:

• Mr. Don Rassler | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
• Don Rassler (@DonRassler) | Twitter
• TTP Says That Baghdadi's Caliphate Is Not Islamic—But Is Anyone Listening? by Dur-e-Aden on Jihadology.net

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected] or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

This episode of the Jihadology Podcast features an interview with Erin Saltman on the report she co-authored with Melanie Smith, "'Till Martyrdom Do Us Part': Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon" (PDF). The conversation covered a variety of topics related to female participation in jihadism including:

• The history of female participation in jihadism
• Why the situation in Syria/Iraq is unique
• The biggest misconceptions of female emigrants
• The push and pull factors leading women to join up
• The different backgrounds of these women
• What they are doing inside Islamic State territory once they arrive

After that is our #SocialMedia segment, covering jihadi social media posts from June 30-July 10.

Links:

• Erin Marie Saltman's personal site
• Home : Institute for Strategic Dialogue
• Erin Marie Saltman (@ErinSaltman) | Twitter

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected], or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

This episode features a discussion of jihadi primary sources from June, an interview with Nelly Lahoud, and a new segment: #SocialMedia.

This episode covers jihadi primary source releases related to:

• Anti-Islamic State messages
• IS state-building efforts
• Caliphate declaration anniversary
• Death of Abu Basir Nasir al-Wuhayshi
• Spy games update

Nelly Lahoud is an Associate Professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Senior Associate at the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point. She spoke to Aaron about a variety of topics related to jihadi ideology including:

• The connection between the the anti-Crusader leader and military commander Nur al-Din al-Zinki and Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi
• A five-year retrospective on her book The Jihadis' Path to Self-Destruction
• Nelly's forthcoming research on the original leader of The Islamic State from 2006-2010, Abu 'Umar al-Baghdadi

Segment start times: primary sources (2:10), the interview with Nelly (24:40), and #socialmedia (57:10).

Links:

• Amazon.com: Jihadis' Path to Self-Destruction by Nelly Lahoud
• The Group That Calls Itself a State: Understanding the Evolution and Challenges of the Islamic State – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
• Dr. Nelly Lahoud | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
• A Review of Nelly Lahoud's "The Jihadis' Path to Self-Destruction" by Aaron Zelin – Academia.edu
• Aaron Y. Zelin (@azelin) | Twitter

The show is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected] or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

Charles Lister comes on the show to discuss a wide range of topics related to the current situation in Syria:

• The background and evolution of Jaysh al-Fatah
• What Jaysh al-Fatah has meant to rebel and Jabhat al-Nusra victories in Syria
• The recent formation of a Jaysh al-Fatah branch in the south and what the southern front in the war currently looks like
• How the regime, Iran, and Hizballah have reacted to the changing military dynamics on the ground
• The recent fighting between the Kurds and the Islamic State in northern al-Raqqah governorate

Links:

• Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) on Twitter
• Aaron Y. Zelin (@azelin) on Twitter
• Charles' forthcoming book "The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency," which comes out on September 24

The show is produced by Karl Morand. If you have any feedback you can email [email protected] or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod

Welcome to an emergency Jihadology Podcast about the fluid situation amongst Caucasus jihadis in Syria and back at home.

On this episode Aaron interviewed Joanna Paraszczuk, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's 'Under the Black Flag' blog. They discussed the recent controversies within Jaysh al-Muhajirun wal-Ansar and the Arab coup against the Chechen leaders, the state of the insurgency in the Caucasus, and how The Islamic State hopes to take advantage of the disarray in the ranks of the Caucasus Emirate.

Links:

• Video Of Amir Khamzat Of Vilayat Nokhchicho Talking About IS Emerges | From Chechnya To Syria
• Is The Caucasus Emirate Dead? Emir Khamzat of Vilayat Nokhchicho Swears Bay'ah To IS | From Chechnya To Syria
• JMA Split After Losing Its North Caucasian Majority & Amid Weak Caucasus Emirate | From Chechnya To Syria

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected] or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod. If you enjoy the show, please rate it in iTunes and tell your friends!

Welcome to the first episode of the Jihadolgy podcast!

The first part of this episode covers primary sources released between May 10th – June 1st:

• Pledges of baya to the Islamic State (ISIS)
• Anti-IS messages from al-Qaeda
• Jihadis vs. Hamas in Gaza
• Spy games

The second part of the show features an interview with Jessica Lewis McFate, the research director at the Institute for the Study of War, on the strategy of IS in Iraq and Syria and what that means for the security situation locally, regionally, and geopolitically.

Links:

• Jessica Lewis McFate | Institute for the Study of War
• The ISIS Defense in Iraq and Syria: Countering an Adaptive Enemy | Institute for the Study of War
• Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes
• Aaron Y. Zelin (@azelin)
• Jihadology Podcast (@JihadPod)
• Karl Morand (@KarlMorand)

Have feedback? Email [email protected]