Gregory Johnsen
Near East Studies Scholar, Princeton University
Gregory Johnsen, a former Fulbright Fellow in Yemen, is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. Johnsen has written for a variety of publications on Yemen including, among others, Foreign Policy, The American Interest, The Independent, The Boston Globe, and The National. He is the co-founder of Waq al-Waq: Islam and Insurgency in Yemen Blog. In 2009, he was a member of the USAID's conflict assessment team for Yemen.
I finally found time – between various projects and other more personal concerns – to read Nasir al-Wahayshi’s opening article in Sada al-Malahim, and while I can’t give a full […]
One of the issues I have been getting a number of questions on lately is the links (imagined and otherwise) between AQAP and al-Shabab in Somalia. This NPR story, for […]
The Center for a New American Security has just put out a new report written by Andrew Exum and Richard Fontaine entitled: “On the Knife’s Edge: Yemen’s Instability and the […]
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy was kind enough to ask me to contribute a piece to its Policy Watch series, the result has just been released and is […]
Three of the kidnapped individuals have been found dead in Yemen, we are trying to get more news. The identity of who kidnapped the 9 is still unclear.Update: al-Sahwa is […]
The fighting continues, with reinforcements coming from Aden. More than 26 suspects are reported to have been arrested since the start of fighting. Al-Tagheer is reporting similar things – they […]
For those with an interest I will be part of a panel – I think, I will be unless they have booked my evil twin, who insists on spelling Johnsen […]
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula continues its recent media blitz with an audio tape that has been released to the forums (thanks to Ibn Siqilli for the tip). The tape […]
Yesterday I wrote about ‘Abdullah al-Midhar escaping from Yemeni security forces in Shabwa. His freedom, it seems, did not last long. Numerous English language reports have the news of his […]
As promised the video of my talk from the New American Foundation conference is now available here. It also has Ken Ballen’s excellent presentation and some Q and A.
Mohammed al-Qadhi has another good piece on the tremors just under the surface as the anniversary approaches.The money quote, in my opinion:“Mr Saleh formed special fact-finding committees in 2007 to […]
Well it should come as no surprise to many who read this blog on a regular basis, but June has not been a good month for Yemen – a suicide […]
We are still getting the hang of this blogging thing and so we ask that you bear with us as we continue to iron a few things out, like, say, […]
As myself and now what I assume to be hundreds of new AQAP watchers wait anxiously for the new release of Sada al-Malahim, I thought I would link to this […]
This should not come as a surprise: the US and UK embassies have been closed, citing security threats. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is going to retaliate, the only question […]
Anyone else having problems with al-Falluja (not spelled that way in the address)? Of course, this is the problem with following jihadi forums, as the loss of al-Ikhlas last September […]
News Yemen has a piece that reports at least one of the 16 al-Qaeda suspects currently on trial spent time fighting in Iraq. There are summaries of the news in […]
News Yemen is reporting that the suicide bomber was named Ali Muhsin al-Ahamd and was born in San’a in 1990.
Admittedly not the best title I have ever thought of but, what can I say, it has been a long day.First, an excellent op-ed by Ambassador Edmund Hull on the […]
Oh no. I have long argued that the “old wise men” of Yemeni politics that surround President Salih are dying off and not being replaced. These men have wisdom and […]
It now appears that contrary to many initial assumptions, including my own, the foreigners kidnapped last week were known as missionaries and were involved in some proselytizing in Sa’dah. This […]
Portions of al-‘Awfi’s confessions are now on You Tube. Part 1 is here and Part II is here. If anyone has the time, they could have a lot of fun […]
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is just out with a new statement on the flooding in Jeddah. I am just printing it out now – thanks Mac for your insufficient […]
By posting – and in doing so interrupting my vacation – I am doing two things I don’t usually do. First, posting after promising not to blog. And Second, linking […]
One of the things (out of many) that we here at Waq al-waq have neglected to cover over the past few weeks is the elections of officers for the Yemeni […]
In a number of conversations I had yesterday with both governmental and non-governmental sources it does seem clear that the two year delay for parliamentary elections, which we talked about […]
Getting a bit tired of short blog posts, and looking for something more to really sink your teeth into over the weekend? Well, then, I would suggest this piece at […]
The story Waq al-waq reported yesterday about the former Guantanamo detainee and another wanted Saudi militant found dead in Sa’dah continues to evolve. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to […]
It is late here but I’m watching al-Hurra’s Free Hour, as you all should be, it is pretty much like I remember it – people screaming at each other, right […]
My own offerings on the Huthi conflict – or at least what I believe the war is all about – are now up in a piece over at the National.