Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

Milstein Writing Fellow

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi is an independent Arabic translator, editor, and analyst. A graduate of Brasenose College, Oxford University, he earned his Ph.D. from Swansea University, where he studied the role of historical narratives in Islamic State propaganda. His research focuses primarily on Iraq, Syria, and jihadist groups, especially the Islamic State, on which he maintains an archive of the group’s internal documents. He has also published an Arabic translation and study of the Latin work Historia Arabum, the earliest surviving Western book focused on Arab and Islamic history. For his insights, he has been quoted in a wide variety of media outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and AFP.

Articles by this Author
Insider Testimony on Defections, Foreign Influence, the Fall of Aleppo, and the Regime’s Collapse
A native Syrian Shi‘i and former soldier reflects on his time in the Iranian-backed militia al-Ghalibun and the Syrian army, exposing corruption, disillusionment, and shifting sectarian dynamics in the wake of Assad’s downfall.
Interview with the Leader of the 313 Force
The Assad Regime Had No Intention of Reforming the Police State, and Had It Won the War, It Would Likely Have Become Even More Repressive
One Often Finds the Armed Group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham Described as Either Being al-Qa ‘Ida or ‘al-Qa‘Ida-Linked’; This Is Simply Not the Case
A Local Defence Forces’ Perspective
An Interview with Samir Darwish, Who Headed the al-Zabadani Town Council Just Before the Assad Regime’s Fall
An Interview with Basim Abu Fakhr from the Predominantly Druze Province of Al-Suwayda’ in Southern Syria
It would not be wise to dismiss the concerns here as simply the work of Iranian agitation, propaganda by the ‘resistance axis’, or sabotage by ‘regime remnants,’ even if not all or most Alawites share the concerns to be outlined here.
Following the Fall of Assad’s Regime, the Narratives of Resistance and Assad’s Alliances With Iran and Hezbollah are Shifting.
As Assad’s Forces Lost Aleppo and Hama to the Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham-Led Insurgents, They Faced an Uprising in Southern Syria That Contributed to the Regime’s Collapse
How Israeli Incursions and Local Resistance Are Shaping Tensions on the Syrian Border
The Sayyida Zaynab Shrine in the Damascus Area Proved to Be a Key Rallying Cause for Many Shi‘a Inside the Country and Foreign Shi‘a Who Came to Syria to Fight on the Side of the Regime
Now That the Assad Regime Is Gone and There Is No Central Authority Asserting Its Control Across Syrian Territory, Minimizing Anarchy Is More Relevant for Israel than Ever
For Islamic State Observers, It Was Very Predictable That This Week’s Editorial in the Group’s Al-Naba’ Newsletter Would Be About the Insurgent Offensive in NW Syria
Although a Wider Insurgent Offensive in NW Syria Has Made Dramatic Advances in Recent Days, This Offensive Does Not Mark a Wholly New-Found Insurgent Unity