Sam Heller Senior Analyst, Non-state Armed Groups Beirut, Lebanon Please submit all media inquiries to sheller@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Crisis Group Role Sam Heller is Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst on Non-State Armed Groups, as part of the organisation's work on Jihad in Modern Conflict. He joined Crisis Group in February 2018 and is based in Beirut. Areas of Expertise Trends and thought in global jihadism The Syrian conflict Professional Background Prior to joining Crisis Group, Sam was a fellow with The Century Foundation and a researcher and analyst focused on the Syrian conflict. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Yale University and a master's degree in Arabic from the University of Maryland. Languages English Arabic Publications He has written for publications including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and War on the Rocks. In The News 16 Jan 2019 President Trump said the U.S. would withdraw from Syria, but apparently spontaneously, without prior planning or coordination inside the U.S. government or with Turkey. Bloomberg Sam Heller Senior Analyst, Non-state Armed Groups 17 Sep 2018 A head-on attack against [Hayat Tahrir al-Sham] now or later would likely destabilize northwest [Syria], prompt a bloody and maybe inconclusive fight, and potentially set off retaliatory attacks inside Turkey. This is why the Turks are pushing so hard for something that approximates the status quo. Washington Post Sam Heller Senior Analyst, Non-state Armed Groups 28 Jul 2018 Rebels [in Southern Syria] are facing a set of options where even the best one is bad - they're stuck between negotiating with Russia through Jordanian mediation, or continuing to resist militarily which will ultimately end with talks under even greater military pressure. AFP Sam Heller Senior Analyst, Non-state Armed Groups 18 Jul 2018 Many of the aims Russia is pursuing in Syria, in their own terms and in specific contexts, are positive. They are probably the party which will tamper down Israeli-Iranian tensions now. The picture gets more complicated if you think in terms of the US’s role in relation to that, though. Any objective good that is achieved through Russian dominance in Syria is probably done at the expense of US. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing is dependent on your perspective. The Independent Sam Heller Senior Analyst, Non-state Armed Groups 16 Apr 2018 Even if [U.S.-led strikes in Syria are] a chemical weapons deterrent, that leaves a whole arsenal of conventional means with which people can be killed with few real repercussions. The New York Times Sam Heller Senior Analyst, Non-state Armed Groups 2 Apr 2018 The fall of East Ghouta is another step towards Assad’s consolidation of control in Syria’s center. The Wall Street Journal Sam Heller Senior Analyst, Non-state Armed Groups Latest Updates Commentary / Jihad in Modern Conflict 12 December 2018 Rightsizing the Transnational Jihadist Threat The number of Salafi-jihadists in action around the world has risen markedly since 2001. But this is no homogenous army, and the key point is that most are fighting locally. Understanding how different jihadist groups operate in varying contexts is essential for an effective policy response. Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 22 October 2018 ‘Frogs’ and ‘Geckos’: Syria’s Jihadists Speak the Language of Rebellion Originally published in War on the Rocks Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 22 June 2018 As Assad Turns to Syria's Southwest, Washington Faces a Choice Originally published in War on the Rocks Commentary / Middle East & North Africa 10 April 2018 Can the U.S. Respond to the Syria Chemical Weapons Attack without Risking Escalation? After an apparent chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held Damascus suburb Saturday, the United States and its allies are considering retaliatory strikes against the Syrian government. In this Q&A, Crisis Group's Sam Heller lays out the Douma attack's impact and the repercussions of a possible new U.S.-led intervention. Also available in العربية Commentary / Middle East & North Africa 8 March 2018 Russia Should Go Beyond Humanitarian Corridors in Syria Russia’s proposal for humanitarian corridors for Eastern Ghouta and Rukban camp have little chance of mitigating suffering there. Instead, Moscow should push for a negotiated resolution of Eastern Ghouta through UN Security Council Resolution 2401 and secure normal aid agency access to Rukban, thereby enhancing its credibility as a mediator. Also available in العربية