Steven Stalinsky

Steven Stalinsky is an expert on the Middle East, terrorism and terrorist use of the Internet, and encryption technologies, and has served as Executive Director of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) since 1999. Stalinsky has briefed staff of the White House, State Department, Homeland Security, Justice Department, Office of Director of National Intelligence, Defense Department, Capitol Hill and other institutions.^[1] Since 2006, his research has focused on detailing and developing strategies against cyber jihad, describing how terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and others use the Internet, social media, and encryption for propaganda, recruiting, and hacking. He was an early advocate of calling on the tech community to take stronger action on removing terrorist content from their platforms and for creating industry standards to combat it.^[2]

Stalinsky's research has been cited by USA Today,^[3] The Guardian (U.K.),^[4] Wired,^[5] Fast Company,^[6] CNN,^[7] Fox News,^[8] NBC,^[9] CBS^[10] and ABC,^[11] among others. His work is also mentioned in a number of books.^[12] Newspapers and journals, including The New York Times,^[13] The Washington Post^[14] and The LA Times^[15] have interviewed Stalinsky on issues related to the Middle East and counter-terrorism policy.^[16] He has written opinion editorials for The Wall Street Journal,^[17] The Washington Post^[18], Forbes^[19], National Review^[20] and The Weekly Standard.^[21] From 2003 through 2007, he wrote a weekly column for the New York Sun focusing on Arab and Iranian media.^[22]

Research on Terrorist Use of Social Media

Stalinsky has published extensive research and documentation of the use of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr and other social media by Al-Qaeda and its affiliates.^[23] Writing about Facebook, he noted, “Facebook is the leader in dealing with this issue of cyber-jihad. They’ve been on top of this, probably for a year and a half, more than any of the large social media companies. Part of what sets Facebook apart is the way it identifies potential terrorist activity and removes it."^[24]

In 2010, he met with representatives from Google to share research and suggestions on how to identify Jihadist videos that could incite violence and terrorist acts^[25] and to offer ideas on how to remove them. At the meeting, Stalinsky explained how the videos could play a role in encouraging homegrown terrorism. Through his capacity as Executive Director of MEMRI, Stalinsky joined members of Congress in urging YouTube to remove videos featuring Al-Qaeda senior official Anwar Al-Awlaki.^[26] At the time, Stalinsky noted that we have, "been monitoring terrorist use of YouTube, and in particular Anwar Al-Awlaki on YouTube, for the past year and a half." Stalinsky briefed members of Congress on this issue and offered YouTube his assistance as well. Following a substantial amount of Congressional pressure and negative news coverage, in November 2010 YouTube removed some Al-Awlaki videos^[15] and a month later announced it would add a "flagging" system to identify videos that promote terrorism.^[15]

Stalinsky's research paper on the history of terrorist use of social media and the Internet, From Al-Qaeda To The Islamic State (ISIS), Jihadi Groups Engage in Cyber Jihad: Beginning With 1980s Promotion Of Use Of 'Electronic Technologies' Up To Today's Embrace Of Social Media To Attract A New Jihadi Generation, was published in November 2014.^[27] Introducing the report, former CIA Director R. James Woolsey wrote, " One of the most important challenges facing the United States and the Western world is that of cyber security, and understanding the intentions and capabilities of Jihadi groups in this realm. The study will be a vital contribution to understanding this phenomenon, and even more importantly in discussing possible ways of countering it." Woolsey concluded, "This landmark study sheds light on a hugely important area that Western governments, militaries, and academics know too little about... It should be read by everyone in Washington – from the Department of Homeland Security and legislators on Capitol Hill to The Pentagon cyber force...."

Stalinsky was an early pioneer in identifying a number of trends in Jihadist online communications. Numerous media outlets have interviewed him on this subject. One Washington Post story noted how fighters in Syria were fundraising via social media, quoting Stalinsky: “These guys are celebrated and to young people back in the neighborhoods, they are heroes. They look at the photos and they say, ‘I can be this guy.’"^[28]

Stalinsky was credited by Fast Company with publishing "one of the only studies to date" on how Jihadists use the social media service Instagram. In the article, Stalinsky noted that much of this content also appeared on other corners of the Internet and was shared via other forms of social media.^[6]

An article in The Telegraph (U.K.) describing how British Al-Qaeda members use social media was based on Stalinsky's research. The paper's Beirut correspondent interviewed Stalinsky, noting that he had coined the term "martyrdom tweet." In the article, Stalinsky explained, “Martyrdom tweets, where Jihadists post pictures and messages of comrades who have been killed, is a phenomenon that started just over a year ago from Syria. At first, there was a handful. Now it’s impossible to keep track because everyone is doing them.”^[29]

Stalinsky was one of the first to write about terrorist use of the encrypted messaging app Telegram in his research report, 'Supporters of the Islamic State' – Anatomy Of A Private Jihadi Group On Encrypted App Telegram.^[30] He also debated the issue with the app's founder, Pavel Durov, via Twitter noting, "Here are some examples of how your @telegram app assists #ISIS, #Al-Qaeda, as @VK remains favorite for Russian-speaking Jihadis" and followed up with other examples.^[31]

In an interview with The Washington Times, Stalinsky noted the increasing number of kill lists should prompt the German government to crack down on Pavel Durov, Stalinsky said, “In Washington, at meetings I have held with government officials and on Capitol Hill over the past year, I have continually reiterated the need for them to contact the German Embassy and to address this issue. I am certain that if any jihadi organization was posting kill lists of German government officials, military personnel and ordinary German citizens, the German government would act immediately.”^[32]

Stalinsky has been interviewed numerous times about his research on terrorist use of Telegram, VK and encryption, including articles from The Wall Street Journal,^[33]The Washington Post,^[18] The Washington Times,^[34] Voice of America,^[35] The Hill,^[36] SCmagazine.com,^[37] CNN,^[38] NBC,^[9] The Jerusalem Post,^[39] The Los Angeles Times,^[40] Discovery,^[41] FedScoop,^[42] The Dallas Morning News,^[43] Homeland Security Today,^[44] Wired,^[5] CBS,^[10] CNBC,^[45] Business Insider^[46] and others.

The Washington Times^[lxii] wrote that Stalinsky and his associates at MEMRI have briefed U.S. lawmakers and federal authorities on how several webhosting sites owned by U.S. companies are playing a growing role in terrorist online activity. The article quoted Stalinsky, “These companies are knowingly or unknowingly providing a service to both terrorist networks and lone-wolf operators.”^[47]

Stalinsky's research on Al-Qaeda's online magazine Inspire was cited in a U.S. Department of Justice terrorism case. The U.S. government used translations and analysis quoted in Stalinsky's research as Exhibit 1 to answer a lawsuit by the father of Anwar Al-Awlaki, who petitioned President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and CIA Director Leon Panetta, seeking his son's removal from the U.S. government's "kill list."^[48]

In 2013 and 2014, several media organizations used Stalinsky's research describing the indoctrination and exploitation of young children by Al-Qaeda and other Jihadist groups. A Voice of America article quoted Stalinsky, "There is a concerted effort by Al-Qaeda central and splinter groups – greater than ever – to concentrate on children. Al-Qaeda has realized that this is an effective way for the group to spread its ideology and grow."^[[49] A Washington Post article included Stalinsky's research, quoting him, "This is the future threat... These are the children of Al-Qaeda."^[50] Fox News also reported on the issue and included his research.^[51]

Today, Stalinsky continues to research cyber Jihad, focusing on how terrorists use video, the Internet and social media to pursue their agenda. Stalinsky has reached out to the public and government officials to build awareness of these cyber threats. He's been a critic of social media companies and their founders for not doing enough to prevent terrorist groups from using their platforms. He regularly shares his research findings, critique and insights with media organizations and others to strengthen our understanding and ability to respond to the threat of cyber Jihad.

Research for MEMRI

Mr. Stalinsky has authored over 100 research reports while at the Middle East Media Research Institute, on issues ranging from reform in the Arab world to online activity by Al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Taliban and other terrorist organizations, as well as their use of encryption technology.^[52] Other research reports detailed terrorist use of U.S.-based libraries such as the Internet Archive, Arab and Iranian hacking groups and more. He was one of the first to write about Jihadism's use of social media, including YouTube, Twitter and Telegram, with a series of research reports on specific terrorist activity, such as Hezbullah's presence on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and apps from Google Play and iTunes. He also reported on the thousands of YouTube videos^[53] – with over 3 million views at that time – featuring extremist Yemeni-American sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki . Stalinsky led early efforts to persuade YouTube to add a feature to flag terrorist content, and one of his reports documented his 2010 meeting with Google officials on this matter.^[54] Another report^[55] detailed his years of effort to prompt Twitter to take action about Jihadis' use of their social networking service – efforts which culminated in a 2013 Congressional letter to the FBI urging them to take action.^[56]

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?^[57]” 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,^[58] 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.”^[17] 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.”^[59] 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.”^[60] 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.^[61] 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.^[62] 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."^[63] 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."

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.^[64] 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.^[65] 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.^[66] 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.^[67]

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."^[68] 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.

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.^[69] 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.

Column for The New York Sun

From 2003 to 2008, Stalinsky penned a weekly column for The New York Sun, focusing on aspects of the post-9/11 world and the Iraq War.^[70] During this period, Stalinsky wrote about numerous issues concerning extremism and terrorism years before they became widely understood and discussed as they are today. For example, his columns detailed how terrorists were beginning to use social media, such as YouTube, and how they were filming and disseminating graphic videos of beheadings and executions for propaganda purposes. Stalinsky also commented on conspiracy theories in the Middle East; on Islamic extremism on satellite TV programs broadcast in the West, including those of Al Jazeera; on the rise of Islamism in Turkey, propelled by then-Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan and his AKP party; and more. His columns included several series devoted to such topics as Hezbullah's Al-Manar TV and Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV.

See also

• The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades)
• History of antisemitism
• Al-Resalah Satellite TV
• Hezbollah
• Ahmad Abu Matar
• Takbir
• Ideology of Hezbollah
• Laws against Holocaust denial
• Islamic terrorism
• Fitna (film)
• Islam and antisemitism

References

External links

• Merlin.ndu.edu
• Articles.washingtonpost.com
• Foxnews.com
• Judiciary.senate.gov