Syrian/American author and journalist (born 1982)
Hassan Hassan (born 1982) is an American author and journalist of Syrian origin. He co-wrote the 2015New York Times bestsellerISIS: Inside the Army of Terror withMichael Weiss .[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] He has written on Islamist groups in theMiddle East .[ 5] [ 6] He frequently appeared onThe O'Reilly Factor ,[ 7] Amanpour [ 8] andThe Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell ,[ 9] and has written forThe New York Times ,Foreign Policy ,The Guardian ,The Atlantic ,Foreign Affairs ,Financial Times , andThe Daily Beast , among others.[ 10] Hassan is the founder and editor-in-chief ofNew Lines Magazine , aglobal affairs magazine.[ 11]
Hassan is from the town ofAl-Shaafah inAl-Bukamal District ,Deir ez-Zor Governorate , in easternSyria , near the Iraqi border.[ 12] In 1996, he moved from ash-Sha'fa to the city ofAl Bukamal for high school.
In 2000, he moved toDamascus to study English literature atDamascus University .[ 13] In 2006, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he completed an MA inInternational relations at theUniversity of Nottingham .[ 14]
After graduation, Hassan moved to theUnited Arab Emirates in 2008 to work as a news reporter for the then newly-launched English-language dailyThe National newspaper inAbu Dhabi , covering domestic and Gulf affairs.[ 14] After the onset of the Arab Spring uprisings, he joined its opinion section as a weekly columnist, and later became the department’s deputy editor.[ 11]
In particular, Hassan covered the Syrian conflict since the uprising began in 2011.[ 15] His research on theIslamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) included extensive interviews with members of the organization since its rise in his home region in June 2014.[ 15]
After moving to Washington, D.C., in 2016, Hassan continued writing forThe National ,[ 11] and was also a regular contributing writer toThe Atlantic .[ 16] In addition, Hassan has written forThe Guardian , theNew York Times , theFinancial Times ,Foreign Policy ,Foreign Affairs and theDaily Beast .[ 10]
In Washington, D.C., Hassan has been involved in policy research, in parallel to his journalistic work.[ 11] He specialized in the study ofSunni andShia militant organizations, as well as Iraq, Syria, and thePersian Gulf .[ 14]
His research was commissioned byCarnegie Endowment for International Peace ,[ 17] European Council on Foreign Relations ,[ 18] [ 19] Chatham House ,[ 20] Royal United Services Institute ,[ 21] Brookings Institution , and[ 22] University of Oxford 's Gulf studies forum.[ 23]
He previously worked as an associate fellow atChatham House ,[ 20] a senior fellow at theTahrir Institute for Middle East Policy ,[ 24] [ 14] a senior researcher atGeorge Washington University ,[ 10] and a director at the Center for Global Policy.[ 25] He was also a research associate at the Delma Institute in the United Arab Emirates.[ 26] In 2019, Hassan Hassan left George Washington University afterLorenzo Vidino tried to prevent him from publishing an article about the murder ofJamal Khashoggi . After the article was nevertheless published, Vidino reportedly contacted the editorial team atThe Atlantic and requested that any mention of Hassan’s employer be removed from his author biography—particularly in articles that were critical of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.[ 27]
Hassan is currently a director at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, a think tank in Washington D.C.[ 10] He was responsible for founding the institute’s Human Security Unit, before establishing New Lines Magazine.
Testifying in Congress [ edit ] Hassan has advised officials in the United States and the Middle East. In June 2016, Hassan testified before theUS Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the extremist ideology of ISIS,[ 28] [ 29] a widely covered hearing.[ 30] [ 31] [ 32] [ 33] In February 2017, he testified before theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee on defeatingterrorism in Syria .[ 34]
In 2015, Hassan authored a book with Michael Weiss on the rise of the militant group ISIS, titledISIS: Inside the Army of Terror .[ 35] His book was chosen byThe Wall Street Journal as one of 10 must-read works on the evolution of terrorism in the Middle East,[ 36] one of the LondonTimes ' Best Books of 2015,[ 37] andThe New York Times Editors' Choice in April 2015.[ 38] The book was reviewed favorably twice inThe New York Times, [ 39] [ 40] The Guardian ,[ 41] andThe Wall Street Journal .[ 42] TheTimes ' chief book critic,Michiko Kakutani , said the book gave readers "a fine-grained look at the organization’s evolution through assorted incarnations."[ 43] It has been translated into over a dozen languages.[ 11]
On December 24, 2019, Hassan published his translation of a speech ofAbu Mohammad al-Julani , the commander-in-chief of the Syrian militant groupTahrir al-Sham , the successor organisation of the Syrian branch ofal-Qaeda .[ 44]
Hassan foundedNew Lines Magazine , a global affairs magazine, in October 2020. Since then, he has acted as itseditor-in-chief .[ 45] The magazine was initially launched by theNew Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy to showcase the best writing from the Middle East. Hassan told theReuters Institute in 2021 that the magazine was launched in response to Western journalists’ reliance on outdated views of the Middle East, which pervades coverage of the region.[ 46]
In September 2022, Hassan announced that the magazine was broadening its coverage to publish stories from around the world.[ 47]
Harvard University ’sNieman Lab describes New Lines Magazine's mission as "to serve audiences that want to readlong-form ,narrative journalism ," with an emphasis on "local reporting from journalists and experts".[ 48] The magazine has featured regular contributions by journalists likeClarissa Ward ,[ 49] Arwa Damon [ 50] orHala Gorani ,[ 51] and public figures like former U.S. diplomatRobert Ford ,[ 52] Syrian intellectualMustafa Khalifa [ 53] or musicianAlex Skolnick .[ 54]
^ "Hassan Hassan" .The Guardian . RetrievedJune 30, 2016 .^ Negus, Steve (April 2015)."ISIS:Inside the Army of Terror" .The New York Times .Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. RetrievedJune 30, 2016 . ^ Setrakian, Lara; Katarina Montgomery (October 27, 2014)."Hassan Hassan on How to Uproot ISIS in Deir Ezzor" . News Deeply.Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. RetrievedJune 30, 2016 . ^ "Book Discussion on ISIS Hassan Hassan, co-author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror" . C-SPAN.Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. RetrievedJune 30, 2016 .^ Hassan, Hassan (February 7, 2015)."Isis has reached new depths of depravity. But there is a brutal logic behind it" .The Guardian .ISSN 0261-3077 .Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. RetrievedOctober 31, 2016 . ^ Gordts, Eline (July 15, 2016)."Eight Experts To Watch On Syria's Islamist Groups" .Syria Deeply .Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. RetrievedOctober 31, 2016 . ^ O'Reilly, Bill."Bill O'Reilly: The O'Reilly Factor – U.S. Ineffective in Fighting ISIS" .www.billoreilly.com .Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. RetrievedOctober 31, 2016 . ^ U.S. and the West 'out of cards to play' in Syria – CNN Video , February 16, 2016,archived from the original on August 5, 2018, retrievedOctober 31, 2016 ^ Hassan Hassan (November 29, 2015),Hassan Hassan on the Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell ,archived from the original on March 25, 2020, retrievedOctober 31, 2016 ^a b c d "Hassan Hassan - New Lines Institute" .New Lines Institute . January 24, 2024.Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 24, 2024 .^a b c d e "Hassan Hassan - New Lines Magazine" .New Lines Magazine . January 11, 2024.Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2024 .^ Weiss, Michael (Summer 2015)."Making Sense of ISIS: an interview with Michael Weiss" .Fathom .Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. RetrievedNovember 18, 2016 . ^ "Sign Up | LinkedIn" .www.linkedin.com . RetrievedNovember 24, 2016 .^a b c d "Hassan Hassan" . The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. Archived fromthe original on September 24, 2018. RetrievedOctober 31, 2016 .^a b Shaban, Hamza (March 5, 2015)." 'Why Would Someone Participate in the Beheading of Their Cousin?' Talking With an Author Who Interviewed Dozens of ISIS Members" .Daily Intelligencer .Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. RetrievedNovember 18, 2016 . ^ "All stories by Hassan Hassan - The Atlantic" .The Atlantic . January 24, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 24, 2024 .^ Hassan, Hassan."The Sectarianism of the Islamic State: Ideological Roots and Political Context" .Carnegie Endowment for International Peace .Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. RetrievedNovember 24, 2016 . ^ Hassan, Hassan (June 13, 2013)."Syria: the view from the Gulf states" .ECFR .Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. RetrievedNovember 24, 2016 . ^ Ayub, Fatima (November 13, 2013).The Gulf and sectarianism .Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. RetrievedNovember 24, 2016 . ^a b "Hassan Hassan Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme" .Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank . Chatham House.Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. RetrievedJune 30, 2016 .^ "Understanding Iran's Role in the Syrian Conflict" . RUSI. August 1, 2016.Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. RetrievedNovember 24, 2016 .^ "Experts weigh in (part 7): Is ISIS good at governing?" . Brookings Institution.Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. RetrievedNovember 24, 2016 .^ "GCC Security Amid Regional Crises" .www.oxgaps.org .Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. RetrievedNovember 24, 2016 .^ "Understanding the Islamic State's Strategy: Hassan Hassan on Last Week's Terrorism Events" . Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. November 19, 2015.Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. RetrievedJune 30, 2016 .^ "Hassan Hassan - Center for Global Policy" .Center for Global Policy . January 13, 2021. Archived fromthe original on January 13, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 24, 2024 .^ "Hassan Hassan – The Cairo Review of Global Affairs" .The Cairo Review of Global Affairs . February 2, 2024. Archived fromthe original on September 28, 2021.^ Gans, Jared (October 16, 2019)."Former Program on Extremism employee criticizes director for attempted censorship" .The GW Hatchet . RetrievedMay 29, 2025 . ^ "Hearings" . Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee.Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. RetrievedNovember 24, 2016 .^ Hassan Hassan (June 27, 2016),Hassan's testimony before the Senate's Homeland Security & Govt Affairs Committee ,archived from the original on November 8, 2016, retrievedNovember 24, 2016 ^ "Experts: The next president will face a more dangerous ISIS" .Washington Examiner .Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 15, 2017 .^ "Gains against Islamic State not yet enough, could backfire: U.S. officials" .Reuters . June 22, 2017.Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. RetrievedFebruary 15, 2017 .^ Seldin, Jeff."Yazidi Woman Pleads With US to Hold IS Accountable" .VOA .Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. RetrievedFebruary 15, 2017 . ^ "Syrian Refugee Subhi Nahas Gives Voice to LGBTQ Asylum-Seekers" . NBC News.Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. RetrievedFebruary 15, 2017 .^ "Subcommittee Hearing: Defeating Terrorism in Syria: A New Way Forward" . House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Archived fromthe original on January 3, 2019. RetrievedFebruary 15, 2017 .^ Weiss, Michael; Hassan, Hassan (February 17, 2015).ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror (First ed.). Regan Arts.ISBN 978-1-941393-57-4 . ^ Russell, Anna."10 Must-Read Books on the Evolution of Terrorism in the Middle East" .WSJ .Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. RetrievedNovember 19, 2016 . ^ "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror (Updated Edition)" .Barnes & Noble .Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. RetrievedNovember 19, 2016 .^ "Editors' Choice" .The New York Times . April 10, 2015.ISSN 0362-4331 .Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. RetrievedNovember 19, 2016 .^ Negus, Steve (April 1, 2015)." 'ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,' and More" .The New York Times .ISSN 0362-4331 .Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. RetrievedNovember 19, 2016 . ^ Kakutani, Michiko (April 2, 2015)."Review: 'ISIS: The State of Terror,' by Jessica Stern and J. M. Berger, and 'ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,' by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan" .The New York Times .ISSN 0362-4331 .Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. RetrievedNovember 19, 2016 . ^ Yassin-Kassab, Robin (March 28, 2015)."Isis: Inside the Army of Terror; The Rise of Islamic State – review" .The Guardian .Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 18, 2016 . ^ Traub, James (March 14, 2015)."The Demonic Wellspring" .The Wall Street Journal .Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. RetrievedSeptember 26, 2016 .^ Kakutani, Michiko (April 2, 2015)."Review: 'ISIS: The State of Terror,' by Jessica Stern and J. M. Berger, and 'ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror,' by Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan" .The New York Times .ISSN 0362-4331 .Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. RetrievedNovember 19, 2016 . ^ "Russia's relentless and vicious campaign in NW Syria, where millions of civilians and IDPs live and could be forced to flee en masse, continues. The leader of the force that dominates that area has a new speech. A new & dangerous chapter is looming. Details in following tweets" . Hassan Hassan on YouTube. December 24, 2019.Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 3, 2020 .^ "New Lines Institute Annual Report 2020-2021 - New Lines Institute" (PDF) .New Lines Institute . January 31, 2024.Archived (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2024 .^ "Newlinesmag.com: a fresh voice from the Middle East - YouTube" .YouTube . April 28, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2024 .^ "New Lines Broadens Its Horizons to Include the Whole World | New Lines Magazine" .New Lines Magazine . September 12, 2022.Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2024 .^ Tameez, Hanaa' (January 4, 2023)."How New Lines Magazine built a home for long-form international reporting | Nieman Journalism Lab" .Nieman Journalism Lab .Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2024 . ^ "Clarissa Ward - New Lines Magazine" .New Lines Magazine . October 4, 2020.Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. RetrievedMay 7, 2024 .^ "Arwa Damon - New Lines Magazine" .New Lines Magazine . RetrievedMay 7, 2024 .^ "Hala Gorani - New Lines Magazine" .New Lines Magazine . February 8, 2024. RetrievedMay 7, 2024 .^ "Robert Ford - New Lines Magazine" .New Lines Magazine . March 20, 2023.Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. RetrievedMay 7, 2024 .^ "Mustafa Khalifa - New Lines Magazine" .New Lines Magazine . March 15, 2021.Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. RetrievedMay 7, 2024 .^ "Alex Skolnick - New Lines Magazine" .New Lines Magazine . August 24, 2021.Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. RetrievedMay 7, 2024 .
International National Other