Steven Stalinsky

Steven Stalinsky has been Executive Director of the Middle East Media Research Institute[1] since 1998. He has authored numerous research papers on Middle Eastern topics[2] including several on terrorists' use of the Internet.

Research by Stalinsky has been cited by Fox News,[3] USA Today,[4] The Guardian (U.K.),[5] the BBC, Daily Mail (U.K.),[6] The Daily Telegraph,[7] and elsewhere. His work has also been cited in a number of books.[8]

Public media outlets and scholarly outlets, including The Washington Post,[9] The New York Post,[10] The Washington Times,[11] Stars & Stripes,[12] Homeland Security Today,[13] and others have interviewed Stalinsky on issues surrounding the Middle East and counter-terrorism policy.[14]

Stalinsky has written articles for The Wall Street Journal,[15] National Review,[16] and The Weekly Standard.[17] From 2003 through 2007, he wrote a weekly column for the New York Sun focusing on the Arab and Iranian media.[18]

Commentary and Guest Editorials

Stalinsky's opinion pieces have been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Weekly Standard and in other news media. He has written on how terrorists use the Internet, social media, encryption, and strategies to prevent it, and on recommendations to address the terrorist threat and analysis about America's policy in the Middle East.

On June 21, 2004, The Weekly Standard published an op-ed by Stalinsky titled: “Diplomatic Missionaries?[19]” The op-ed discusses mishaps on the part of Saudi Arabian diplomats in Washington and a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into Saudi Arabia's support for Jihadisto ideology, particularly on the part of the Saudi embassy's Islamic Affairs Department (IAD). It cites instances of Saudi Arabia exporting and sponsoring pro-Jihadist ideology across the Islamic world, an includes quotes from the IAD website espousing this ideology. The op-ed quotes Saudi embassy officials supporting the activities of the IAD and rejecting efforts to shut it down. The op-ed suggests that after the GAO report, there will be more calls for the U.S. to take action against the Saudi embassy's Islamic Affairs Department. The op-ed also notes that Stalinsky's research was cited in the Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2009,[20] which, if passed, would "halt Saudi support for institutions that fund, train, incite, encourage, or in any other way aid and abet terrorism."

Stalinsky has also written about hacker groups in the Middle East including those connected to ISIL and Al-Qaeda. On May 21, 2013, The Wall Street Journal published a commentary by Stalinsky titled" “China Isn't the Only Source of Cyber-attacks.”[21] The op-ed argues that while most of the concern over cyber-attacks focuses on China and Iran, the threat from the Arab and Islamic world is overlooked. The piece goes on to cite various hacker actions by individuals and terrorist organizations against U.S. government agencies and banks. Stalinsky concludes by recommending that activities of Arab and radical Islam hacker groups be researched, monitored, translated and tracked.

On September 29, 2014, the Fox News website published a Stalinsky op-ed titled: “America's Pre-Cyber 9/11 Moment: What U.S. Cyber Security Establishment Can Learn From Global Cyber-Attacks on Israel.”[22] The piece details the wave of cyber attacks that Israel endured during the 2014 Israel - Gaza Conflict from both nation-states and non-state actors. The op-ed argues that the U.S. can learn from Israel’s experience and highlights various sources on the threat of cyber terrorism. Stalinsky quotes from The 9/11 Commission Report that warns: "Security officials are concerned that terrorist groups' skills in computer technology – and in particular in manipulating offensive cyber capabilities – will increase in the years ahead..." Stalinsky writes that the U.S. is becoming more dependent on digital services for the functioning of its critical infrastructure, business, education, finances, communications and social connections – all of which came under attack in Israel during the 2014 Israel-Gaza Conflict. The op-ed notes: "The Internet's vulnerabilities are," according to The 9/11 Commission, "outpacing the nation's ability to secure it." Stalinsky comments that Israel's experience should serve as a warning to the U.S. – that just as America needs to protect its physical infrastructure, it must also protect its cyber domain and prepare for the types of attacks that Israel experienced.

On January 30, 2015, Forbes magazine published an op-ed co-authored by Yigal Carmon, president of the Middle East Media Research Institute and Stalinsky, titled: “Terrorist Use of U.S. Social Media is a National Security Threat.”[23] In the op-ed, Stalinsky and Carmon highlight the threat posed by Jihadist use of social media, and criticize American social media companies for not doing enough to police themselves and remove Jihadist content from their websites. The authors suggest that social media companies could design algorithms to automatically detect and remove the content. Stalinsky and Carmon explain: “These companies should... commit to tackling the problem of eradicating violent Jihadist content from their platforms. It is time for the government to catch up to terrorist use of the Internet, and create and enforce new laws to address this problem. The removal of a handful of YouTube videos, Twitter accounts, and Facebook pages is hardly a serious solution.” The op-ed recommends that Congress and the Obama administration summon the heads of social media companies to discuss their policies on this matter.

On August 27, 2015, The Washington Post published an op-ed entitled “The Facebook Model for Taking On Jihadist Groups Online”, which compares how Facebook and Twitter address Jihadist content on their platforms.[24] The piece asserts that Facebook has done an exceptional job of keeping Jihadist content off its service, quickly removing the content as soon as it is posted. In the op-ed Stalinsky writes: “In meetings with U.S. counterterrorism officials, on Capitol Hill and with journalists, I am asked repeatedly... is it possible to stop the Islamic State and other Jihadist groups from using services such as Twitter and whether it is, essentially, a game of Whac-a-Mole? The answer is clear: A model for action already exists. Facebook has effectively stopped these groups from using its platform over the past few months.” The op-ed encourages other tech companies to emulate Facebook's success in removing Jihadist content and was highly critical of Twitter for its lack of action.

On October 25, 2015, Stalinsky wrote an expert commentary: "Getting Tech in the Fight" for The Cipher Brief website.[25] The commentary discusses how terrorists use U.S.-based tech platforms, websites, social media and off-the-shelf encryption software to further their goals. The op-ed points out that the tech community has not adequately addressed this issue. Stalinsky describes a meeting with Google: “I first met with senior Google officials in 2010 to discuss Al-Qaeda's use of YouTube and its growing impact on the radicalization of young people. But their subsequent removal of some Jihadist videos and accounts is hardly a sufficient solution, as many of these accounts have been re-launched – some over 100 times.” The op-ed calls for a more thoughtful, sustained and creative approach to the problem. It asks upon the tech community to seek outside expertise and assistance with this issue, and better coordinate their efforts with the U.S. government.

Stalinsky has also published about Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). On February 2, 2016, Stalinsky wrote an opinion editorial (op-ed) about radical activity at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for the The Wall Street Journal titled: “A Mosque as Extremist Megaphone."[26] The op-ed cites numerous examples of pro-Jihadist and anti-Semitic statements made by radical Muslim clerics at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including calls for the destruction of America and the West, promises that Islam will take over the world, and calls for the worldwide annihilation of Jews. The op-ed calls on President Obama to ask Muslim scholars and clerics "to help ensure that mosques are not used as a platform to preach Islamist extremism."

Articles Published in National Review

Between 2003 and 2011, Stalinsky wrote close to 50 opinion editorials (op-eds) for National Review about the Middle East and Iran.[27]

The op-eds focus on the following topics: 9/11 conspiracy theories, anti-American sentiment in the Arab press, criticism of Al-Jazeera TV, the need to support Arab reformers, analysis of Al-Qaeda statements threatening the U.S., the Saudi Arabian education system and jihad, Palestinian education of children on jihad and child martyrdom, the effort to ban Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, and other subjects. Some of the more notable op-eds include:

On May 24, 2004, National Review published a Stalinsky op-ed, “Dealing in Death.”[28] The op-ed discusses the influence of ancient Islamic tradition on jihadi ideology, particularly the “love of death” and martyrdom, and provides several modern quotes by leading Islamic clerics who support jihadi ideology. []

On June 28, 2004, National Review published a Stalinsky op-ed, “Speaking Out.”[29] The op-ed discusses criticism of Wahhabism by liberal voices in the Arab world, especially on how Saudi Arabia’s financing of the export of Wahhabism has led to the rise of the global jihad movement.

On July 15, 2004, National Review published a Stalinsky op-ed, “Off with Heads.”[30] The op-ed condemns the beheadings of Americans by terrorists, and discusses the practice of beheading, as used by jihadis and sanctioned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a legal punishment.

On April 4, 2006, National Review published a Stalinsky op-ed, “Terrorist TV.”[31] The op-ed discusses the history of Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, including its activity in the U.S., its anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism, and its support from the Iranian government. The op-ed argues that the only workable solution is to pressure the Lebanese government to shut down the TV channel.

On September 11, 2006, National Review published a Stalinsky op-ed, "Rabid Speculation."[32] The op-ed discusses the circulation of 9/11 conspiracy theories in the Arab and Iranian press, as well as by leading Arab and Iranian figures. The op-ed also comments on the beginnings of reform efforts in the Middle East after 9/11, and condemns the 9/11 conspiracy theories put forth by some Arab thinkers.

• On September 11, 2009, National Review published a Stalinsky op-ed, "Eight Years Later."[33] The op-ed discusses statements from Al-Qaeda members and sympathizers calling for attacks against the United States, as well as their comments predicting future attacks. The op-ed notes that some of their statements claim that Al-Qaeda possessed nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

On March 18, 2011, National Review published a Stalinsky op-ed, "Al-Awlaki Praises WikiLeaks, Al-Jazeera."[34] The op-ed discusses Anwar al-Awlaki's criticism of Western media, which he labeled "propaganda," and his use of WikiLeaks to castigate the West. The op-ed notes that to encourage distrust of Western media, Awlaki referred readers to sources in Al-Jazeera, which often were written by alleged Al-Qaeda members. The op-ed also notes that as Julian Assange was being pursued by law enforcement, Awlaki claimed that the White House (U.S. Government) was attempting to silence Assange for spreading its "secrets."

Chronicling Al-Qaeda Leader Adam Gadahn

Stalinsky is the author of the upcoming book, American Traitor – The Rise and Fall of Al-Qaeda’s U.S. Born Leader Adam Gadahn.[35] The book tells the story of American citizen Adam Gadahn and his role in the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Stalinsky first wrote about Gadahn in September 13, 2006, when the New York Sun published, “A Jewish Musician's Son Joins Al Qaeda's Ranks,” by Stalinsky.[36] The op-ed provides details of the life of Adam Gadahn (born Pearlman), the American who left his home in California to join the ranks of Al-Qaeda. Gadahn was put on the FBI’s Most Wanted list in 2004, reportedly received training at terrorist camps in Afghanistan and was sent to Baltimore on a suicide-bombing mission. The op-ed notes Gadahn’s appearances in several Al-Qaeda media productions, including his formal introduction in a September 2, 2006 video by then-Al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman Al-Zawahiri.

After the United States Government announced it had killed Gadahn in a drone attack, Stalinsky wrote “Why Adam Gadahn’s Killing Matters to Al Qaeda,” which was published in Homeland Security Today on May 19, 2015.[37] The op-ed discusses the significance of Adam Gadahn’s death to Al-Qaeda, and his role as part of the organization’s media outreach efforts to the Western world. Stalinsky notes that Gadahn was one of the few people remaining in contact with Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Stalinsky also points out that, as an Al-Qaeda propagandist, Gadahn’s story could resonate with susceptible populations in the United States and other Western countries, and expand the organization’s effort to reach a broader audience.

A longer version of the article "Why Adam Gadahn's Killing Matters to Al Qaeda" appeared as MEMRI Daily Brief 45 on the website of MEMRI on April 24, 2015.[38]

On the one-year anniversary of Gadahn's death, Stalinsky wrote, “Revisiting American Al-Qaeda Spokesman And Leader Adam Gadahn's Influence On The First Anniversary Of His Death."[39] The article discusses material found in Osama bin Laden’s compound after his death and how it reveals the significance of the relationship between the Al-Qaeda leader and American Al-Qaeda member Adam Gadahn. Many of the books and documents found in bin Laden’s compound were referenced by Gadahn in his media recordings, particularly those concerning conspiracy theories and American leftist thinkers. The article suggests that Gadahn may have had a strong influence on the Al-Qaeda leader and that the two were probably close despite Osama bin Laden's isolation during his time at the compound.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About MEMRI". MEMRI. The Middle East Media Research Institute. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  2. ↑ "Search Results". MEMRI. The Middle East Media Research Institute. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  3. ↑ Daftari, Lisa (2013-05-13). "Newseum reverses plan to honor accused terrorists". FoxNews.com (FOX News Network, LLC). Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  4. ↑ Stanglin, Doug (2013-05-31). "Al-Qaeda magazine warns of more 'lone-wolf' attacks". USA Today (Gannett). Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  5. ↑ "Rafsanjani is in poll position in Iran". The Guardian (Guardian News and Media Limited). 2005-06-13. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  6. ↑ Stebner, Beth (2013-04-15). "Daily Mail Blind Sheik". London. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  7. ↑ Harnden, Toby (2005-11-06). "Suicide Bombers on Iran Kids’ TV". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  8. ↑ "Citings in books". Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  9. ↑ Farhi, Paul (2006-11-15). "Al Jazeera's U.S. Face". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  10. ↑ Dan, Uri. "Baby Bomber Horrors". New York Post. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  11. ↑ "US Web Companies". Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  12. ↑ "Threat to Navy in Persian Gulf". Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  13. ↑ "HS Today Cybersecurity". Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  14. ↑ "Congress Demands YouTube Ban on Terrorists". Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  15. ↑ "China Isn’t Only Source". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  16. ↑ "National Review articles". Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  17. ↑ "Weekly Standard articles". Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  18. ↑ "NY Sun Archives". Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  19. ↑ "Diplomatic Missionaries?". Weekly Standard. 2004-06-21. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  20. ↑ Weiner, Anthony (2009-08-19). "Text - H.R.1288 - 111th Congress (2009-2010): Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2009". Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  21. ↑ Stalinsky, Steven. "Steven Stalinsky: China Isn't the Only Source of Cyberattacks". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  22. ↑ Stalinsky, Steven (2014-09-29). "America's pre-cyber 9/11 moment: What U.S. Cyber Security establishment can learn from global cyber attacks on Israel | Fox News". Fox News. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  23. ↑ Flows, Capital. "Terrorist Use Of U.S. Social Media Is A National Security Threat". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  24. ↑ Stalinsky, Steven (2015-08-27). "The Facebook model for taking on jihadist groups online". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  25. ↑ "Getting Tech in the Fight". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  26. ↑ Stalinsky, Steven. "A Mosque as Extremist Megaphone". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  27. ↑ "Steven Stalinsky Archive - National Review Online". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  28. ↑ "Dealing in Death". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  29. ↑ "Speaking Out". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  30. ↑ "Off With Heads". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  31. ↑ "Terrorist Tv". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  32. ↑ "Rabid Speculation". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  33. ↑ "Eight Years Later". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  34. ↑ "Al-Awlaki Praises WikiLeaks, Al Jazeera". National Review Online. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  35. ↑ "Steven Stalinsky". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  36. ↑ "A Jewish Musician's Son Joins Al Qaeda's Ranks - The New York Sun". www.nysun.com. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  37. ↑ Stalinsky, Steven (May 19, 2015). "Why Adam Gadahn’s Killing Matters To Al Qaeda". Homeland Security Today. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  38. ↑ www.memri.org. "Why Adam Gadahn’s Killing Matters To Al-Qaeda". MEMRI - The Middle East Media Research Institute. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  39. ↑ www.memri.org. "Revisiting American Al-Qaeda Spokesman And Leader Adam Gadahn's Influence On The First Anniversary Of His Death". MEMRI - The Middle East Media Research Institute. Retrieved 2016-03-31.

External links

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