Yoram Schweitzer

Yoram Schweitzer of the INSS in a photo from the INSS website. Accessed 3 December 2012.

Yoram Schweitzer is Senior Research Fellow and Director, Program on Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict at the Institute for National Security Studies.

Education

Schweitzer holds an MA in military and diplomatic history from Tel Aviv University.

Career History

From the INSS website:

Yoram Schweitzer, an expert on international terrorism, has been a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), which incorporated the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (JCSS), since February 2003, following a distinguished career in the Israeli intelligence community as well as in the academic world. Among other positions, he served as a consultant on counter-terror strategies to the prime minister's office and the Ministry of Defense, Head of the Counter International Terror Section in the IDF, and a member in a Task Force dealing with Israeli MIAs at the Prime Minister's Office. Mr. Schweitzer was a researcher and head of Educational Curriculum at the International Policy Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT) at the Inter Disciplinary Center in Herzliya.

Current Activity

Schweitzer is Senior Research Fellow and Director, Program on Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict at the Institute for National Security Studies.

Publications

Books

• The Globalization of Terror - The Challenge of Al - Qaida and the Response of theInternational Community (co authored with Shaul Shay) Transaction Publishers,Rutgers University State, University of New Jersey, June 2003

Chapters in Books

• Overview of Sunni Islamist Militancy. The Middle East Strategic Balance 2010.
• Is Israel Being Held Hostage by Kidnappers? The Middle East Strategic Balance 2010.
• Al Qaeda's Radicalization Doctrine: Concept and Execution. Homegrown Terrorism—Understanding and Addressing the Root Causes of Radicalization Among Groups with an Immigrant Heritage in Europe. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series-E: Human and Societal Dynamics. Volume 60, 2009. Pick, Thomas; Speckhard, Anne; Beatrice Jacuch, Eds.
• Current Trends in al-Qaeda and Global Jihad Activity, in: Brom, Shlomo and Kurz, Anat, (Editors), Strategic Survey for Israel 2009.
• Palestinian Female Suicide Bombers: Virtuous Heroines or Damaged Goods? Female Terrorism and Militancy: Agency, Utility, and Organization. Ness, Cindy ed. Routledge, February 2008.
• "'The Divine Victory' & the Material Failures: Hezbollah in the Lebanon War – Intermediate Balance – is This Indeed a Victory?", The Second Lebanon War – Lessons and Implications (INSS), publication pending.
• "Al-Qaeda and the Global Epidemic of Suicide Attacks", Root Causes of Suicide Terrorism: the Globalization of Martyrdom, Editor – Ami Pedahtzur, Publisher – Routledge. 2006.
• "International Terror, with Iraq at its Hub", The Middle East Strategic Balance 2004-2005, November 2005
• "International Terrorism in the Shadow of the Iraq War", The Middle East Strategic Balance 2003-2004, Sussex Academic Press, October 2004.
• "The War in Iraq and International Terrorism", The war in Iraq – Defining a New Strategic Balance, Sussex Academic Press & JCSS, September, 2003.
• “Suicide terrorism – Development and Main Characteristics” I.C.T. Publication, April 2001.
• "The Afghanistan Alumni, "Military Balance in the Middle East, Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University, Nov. 1999.
• “Terrorism – A weapon in the Shiite Arsenal,” Contemporary Trends in World Terrorism, J.C.S.S book, Tel Aviv University, pp 66-74.

INSS (Institute for National Security Studies)

• Stein, Shimon and Schweitzer, Yoram, 'The Terror Attack in Toulouse: Aberration or Symptom?', INSS Insight, No. 326, April 2, 2012.
• Schweitzer, Yoram., 'Back to their Old Ways? Iran, Hizbollah', and International Terrorism, INSS Insight, No. 315, February 21, 2012.
• Schweitzer, Yoram., 'A Mixed Blessing: Hamas, Israel, and the Recent Prisoner Exchange', Strategic Assessment, Volume 14, No. 4, January 2012.
• Schweitzer, Yoram and Dryndin, Ilona., 'Evil Develops in the South', INSS Insight, No. 295, November 21, 2011.
• Schweitzer, Yoram, 'Is There a Winner? Ten Years after the Terror Attacks in the United States', INSS Insight, No. 281, September 8, 2011.
• Stern, Gilad, Yogev, Einav, and Schweitzer, Yoram., 'Egypt-Sinai-Gaza: The Triangular Threat to Israel', INSS Insight, No. 271, July 28, 2011.
• Schweitzer, Yoram and Stern, Gilad., 'The West Responds to the Arab Spring', Strategic Assessment, Volume 14, No. 2, July 2011.
• Schweitzer, Yoram and Yogev, Einav., 'The United States and the Policy of Targeted Killing', INSS Insight, No. 265, June 22, 2011.
• Schweitzer, Yoram and Barak, Dan., 'The United States and Pakistan: Partnership in Crisis', INSS Insight, No. 259, May 29, 2011.
• Schweitzer, Yoram and Oreg, Aviv., 'The Death of Bin Laden and the Future of al-Qaeda', INSS Insight, No. 256, May 15, 2011.
• 'Initial Thought upon the Assassination of Bin Laden', INSS Insight, No. 254, May 4, 2011.
• Schweitzer, Yoram and Barak, Dan., 'Afghanistan: Situation Assessment', March 2011, INSS Insight, No, 248, March 30, 2011.
• 'The Foiling of a Terrorist Attack on American Soil: Good News Bringing Evil Tidings', INSS Insight, No. 219, November 3, 2010.
• 'Al-Qaeda and Suicide Terrorism: Vision and Reality, Military and Strategic Affairs', Volume 2, No. 2, October 2010.
• 'The Rise and Fall of Suicide Bombings in the Second Intifada', Strategic Assessment, Vol. 13, No. 3, October 2010.
• 'The Terrorism Threat against Israel from al-Qaeda and Global Jihad', Military and Strategic Affairs, Volume 2, No. 1, June 2010.
• 'Nuclear Terrorism: Threat to the Public or to Credibility?', INSS Insight, No. 178, April 28, 2010 (coauthored with Jonathan Schachter and Yoel Guzansky).
• 'Obama’s Afghanistan-Pakistan Policy: Challenges and Objectives', Strategic Assessment, Volume 12, No. 4, February 2010 (coauthored with Sean London).
• 'Is Terrorism Returning to the United States?', INSS Insight, No. 153, December 30, 2009.
• "Obama's Choice": The Afghan-Pakistan Dilemma, INSS Insight, No. 149, December 14, 2009 (coauthored with Sean London).
• 'A New Wave of Terror in the Arabian Peninsula?', INSS Insight, No. 140, November 12, 2009 (coauthored with Yoel Guzansky).
• 'The Battle at the Rafah Mosque: Power Struggles and Philosophical Clashes', INSS Insight, No. 125, August 24, 2009.
• 'Current Trends in al-Qaeda and Global Jihad Activity', in: Brom, Shlomo and Kurz, Anat, (Editors), Strategic Survey for Israel 2009, Tel Aviv: Institute for National Security Studies, 2009.
• 'Ramifications of the Gaza Campaign for Local Terrorist Organizations', Strategic Assessment, Volume 11, No. 4, February 2009.
• 'Syria and the Global Jihad: A Dangerous Double Game', Strategic Assessment, Volume 11, No. 3, January 2009 (coauthored with Amir Kulick).
• 'Operation Cast Lead: Who Expects to Gain from the Fighting?', INSS Insight, No. 88, January 12, 2009.
• "Mumbai: Is This New Terror?", INSS Insight, No. 83, December 10 2008.
• "Iraq: Just Another Milestone in the War against al-Qaeda", Strategic Assessment, November 2008, Vol. 11, No. 2. (coauthored with Gaia Sciaky).
• "The Prisoner Swap, Hizbollah's Report, and Ron Arad", INSS website, July 14, 2008.
• "The Prisoner Swap: Opposing Just Values", INSS Insight, No. 61, July 9, 2008.
• "Response or Restraint: Possible Israeli Responses to an Attack Avenging Mughniyeh's Assassination". Written with Amir Kulik. Published as on-site op-ed. 26 March 2008.
• "A Balance of Terror in the War on Terror", INSS Insight, No. 45, February 18, 2008.
• "The Assault of Suicide-Bombers in Pakistan and Afghanistan", INSS Insight, No. 41, December 31, 2007.
• "The Sub-Conventional Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan: A Challenge in Search of a Realistic Response", Strategic Assessment, December 2007, Vol. 10, No. 3.
• "At the End of the Day, Hamas Too", Strategic Assessment, August 2007, Vol. 10, No. 2 (coauthored with Amir Kulick).
• "Is al-Qaeda Closing In?", Strategic Assessment, Vol. 10, No. 1, June 2007.
• "Al Qaeda on the Fences" (Hebrew), Strategic Assessment, May 2007.
• "Breaking the Link between Hezbollah and Hamas as an Israeli Target", TAU 180, August 2006.
• "Guerilla Warfare and Terrorism: Blurring the Definition of Victor", August 2006.
• "Hizbollah and the Morning After: Guerilla, Terror, and Psychological Warfare", Strategic Assessment, Vol. 9, No. 2, August 2006.
• Editor: "Female Suicide Bombers: Dying for Equality?", Memorandum No. 84, August 2006. (English)
• Palestinian Female Suicide Bombers: Reality vs. Myth, Memorandum No. 84, August 2006.
• "International Terror, with Iraq at its Hub" in: Zvi Shtauber and Yiftah S. Shapir, eds., The Middle East Strategic Balance 2004-2005, Sussex Academic Press (Brighton) and Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University, (Tel Aviv), 2005.
• "Hamas at a Crossroads?", Tel Aviv Notes No.154, December 11, 2005
• "Al-Qaeda and the Internationalization of Suicide Terrorism", Memorandum No. 78, November 2005 (English)
• "Al-Qaeda and the Internationalization of Suicide Terrorism", Memorandum No. 76, June 2005 (Hebrew)
• "The Globalization of Suicide Terrorism", Memorandum No. 76, June 2005 (Hebrew)
• "Is a Third Intifada Inevitable?", Tel Aviv Notes No.139, July 11, 2005.
• "Dilemmas for Israel in the Release of Palestinian Prisoners", Tel Aviv Notes No.125, February 8, 2005
• "Global Jihad as Reaction to American Policy: A Dangerous Delusion", Tel Aviv Notes No.118, December 9, 2004
• "Lessons of Terrorism the Caucasus", Tel Aviv Notes No.111, September 9, 2004.
• "Neutralizing State Sponsored Terrorism- The Libyan Model," Strategic Assessment 7, No.1, May 2004.
• "Another Deadly Wakeup Call for Europe", Tel Aviv Notes No.101, March 15, 2004.
• "The Next Israel-Hizbullah Exchange: Theater of the Absurd", Tel Aviv Notes No.98, February 2, 2004.
• "International Terrorism in the Shadow of Iraq War" in: Shlomo Brom and Yiftah S. Shapir, eds., The Middle East Strategic Balance 2003-2004, Sussex Academic Press (Brighton) and Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University, (Tel Aviv), 2004.
• "Terror in Turkey: Nothing New Under the Sun", Tel Aviv Notes No.91, November 25, 2003.
• "Female Suicide Bomber for God", Tel Aviv Notes No.88, October 9 2003.
• "September 11, Two Years Later" Strategic Assessment 6, No.2, September 2003.
• "The Capture of Hambali: Half Glass Empty – Half Glass Full," Tel Aviv Notes No.84 , August 17 2003
• “The Export and Import of Suicide Bombers," Tel Aviv Notes No.77, July 11 2003.
• “The Age of Non-Conventional Terrorism,” Strategic Assessment 6, No.1,May 2003.
• “The Capture of Khaled Sheikh Mohammed,” Tel Aviv Notes No.68, March 5 2003.

ICT (International Policy Institute for Counter Terror Policy) Website (www.ict.org.il)

• Suicide Terrorism and the September 11 Attacks, 20 Oct 2002
• Hezbollah A Transnational Terrorist Organization, 1 Sep 2002
• Another Important Arrest of a Senior Al Qaeda Member, 15 Sep 2002
• The Arrest of Abu Zubayda : an Important Achievement with More to Come, 09 Apr 2002
• Iran - Terror by Proxy, 05 Jan 2002
• The Case of the “Shoe Bomber“: Lessons in Counter-Terrorism—This Time at No Cost, 04 Jan 2002
• Osama and the Bomb: A Grain of Truth? 11 Nov 2001
• The “Lockerbie Affair“: Over but Not Done With, 27 Oct 2001
• Terrorism and Propaganda, 12 Oct 2001
• Iran – an Undesirable Bedfellow, 05 Oct 2001
• Denying Responsibility and Liability, 04 Oct 2001
• Hot Blood and Cold Rationality, 29 Sep 2001
• Suicide Bombings: The Ultimate Weapon? 07 Aug 2001
• The “Bin Laden Principle“, 04 Aug 2001
• The Search for Justice: The Lessons of AMIA, 17 Jul 2001
• Bin Laden Productions, Ltd. 28 Jun 2001
• Iranian Transnational Terrorism, 24 May 2001
• Osama Bin Laden - Threat or Myth? 05 May 2001
• A Necessary, if Unsavory, Policy, 24 Apr 2001
• The Matter of Osama bin Laden Toward a Balanced Policy, 17 Apr 2001
• The Infiltration of Jihad Shuman, February 22, 2001
• Massive Response or Surgical Strike? 20 Feb 2001
• The Immediate Lessons of the Lockerbie Verdict, 31 Jan 2001
• Does Bin Laden Pose a Threat to Israel? 22 Aug 2000
• Suicide Terrorism: Development & Characteristics, 21 Apr 2000
• Osama bin Laden and the Egyptian Terrorist Groups, 25 Jun 1999
• Patterns of Global Terrorism 1998 - What has Changed, 10 May 1999
• Bin Laden vs. the West: Round Two, 10 Jan 1999
• The Lessons of Lockerbie, 21 Dec 1998
• Responding to Terrorism—The American Dilemma, 02 Sep 1998
• Abu Nidal - The Sooner the Better, 25 Aug 1998
• Osama Bin Laden: Wealth Plus Extremism Equals Terrorism, 27 Jul 1998
• The Arrest of Mohammed Rashid - Another Point for the Americans, 07 Jun 1998

Newspaper Articles

• "5 Years to the Attack on Park Hotel", Maariv (Musaf), April 2007
• "A Fundamental Change in Tactics", Washington Post , October 19, 2003,
• "State Sponsors of Terror Remain Key", Jerusalem Post, August 18, 2003
• “Transnational terrorism and Iran” Jerusalem Post, May 152001
• “The pros and cons of eliminating terrorists” (Interview) Jerusalem post, April 6 2001
• “The duty of self-defense”, Haaretz, March 4‏2001
• “Are the “liquidations” wrong?” (Liquidation policy), Yedioth Aharonot, March 4th 2001
• “To call the threat in its true name”, Yedioth Ahronot, February 26 2001
• “Bin Laden now”(A threat to Israel as well) , Yedioth Aharonot, August 232000
• “The sea is not the same”(Hizballah's new situation after Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon), Yedioth Ahronot, February 15, 2000
• “Terrorism – an exercise in form over substance” Jerusalem Post, December 3 1999
• “Look who is against withdrawal” (of Israel from Lebanon), Yedioth Ahronot, November 16, 1999
• “The fear of the “contempt of the taboo” (Bin Laden’s Non Conventional potential), Haaretz, January 18 1999.
• “The man of the Year” (Ron Arad’s 10th anniversary in captivity), Haaretz, October 15 1998
• “The limitations of threats”, Haaretz, September 231998
• “A message of Superpower”, Haaretz, August 311998

Articles in Journals

• “Review: Assaf Moghadam's The Globalization of Suicide Terrorism: al Qaeda, Salafi Jihad, and the Diffusion of Suicide Attacks“. Democracy and Security, 1555-5860, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2009, Pages 320 – 321.
• "Istishad as an Ideological and Practical Tool in the Hands of Al Qaeda". Journal of National Defense Studies. Vol. 6, may 2008.
• 'Palestinian Istishhadia: A Developing Instrument', Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 30:8, 667 – 689, (2007).
• "Le Hezbollah au lendemain de la Guerre", DSI: Defense & Securite Internationale, September 2006
• "Blurring the Identity of the Victor in Guerilla Warfare", Homeland Security & Resilience Monitor, March 2007.

News Websites

• A decade later, al-Qaida is still with us, with Einav Yogev, IsraelHayom, September 11, 2011.
• Is the West safer after 9/11? with Shili Kirshboim, Jerusalem Post, September 11, 2011.
• Hezbollah: A Contract Killer, with Gilad Stern, Jerusalem Post, July 2, 2011.
• Mission Still Not Completed, Ynet, May 2, 2011.
• "Obama’s Yemen challenge", with Yoel Guzansky, Ynet, March 29, 2011.
• “Moscow's Female Suicide Terrorists“, nrg.co.il (Maariv), 31 March 2010.
• “Thus Passes the Glory of the World“, nrg.co.il (Maariv), 10 February 2010.
• “Is Terrorism Returning to the US?“ Israelhayom.co.il, 29 December 2009.
• “The Strength of Weakness“, Haaretz.com (Haaretz), 8 March 2009.
• “Why Hasn't al Qaeda Attacked Again“, bitterlemons-international.org, 4 June 2009.
• “The Greatest Beneficiary of the Gaza War: Iran“, nrg.co.il (Maariv) 4 January 2009.
• “Raising the Ante“, nrg.co.il (Maariv), 28 November 2008.
• “The Target: A Lethal Attack on Terrorism“, nrg.co.il (Maariv), 27 November 2008.
• “Obfuscation and Oversimplification“, jpost.com (Jerusalem Post), 2 August 2008.
• “Not That Bad a Deal“, Jerusalem Post, 23 July 2008.
• “Not All Blackmail is the Same“, Haaretz.com (Haaretz), 25 July 2008.
• “George Habash: Forefather of International Terrorism“, Omedia.org, 28 January 2008.
• “Bin Laden Talking Again“, Ynetnews.com (Yedioth Ahronot), 12 December 2007.
• “An Ominous Victory“, Ynetnews.com (Yedioth Ahronot) 25 October 2007.
• "We'll Meet Again in Paradise", Omedia, 24 April 2007, Link to the Article
• Hamas' Participation: Strategic or Tactical?, www.bitterlemons.org, 2 January 2006.
• "Talking with Hamas", Ynet , July 7 2005.
• "Does Suicide Terrorism Present a Unique Threat to Freedom?", Wide Angel – www.pbs.org, 18 June 2004.

International Conferences

• "Innovation in Terrorist Organizations: The Case of PFLP and it Offshoots." Presented at "Innovation in Terrorism Weapons of Mass Effect: Preconditions, Causes, and Predictive Indicators" Workshop at the Center for Contemporary Conflict, U.S. Naval Post Graduate School. Monterey, California. August 5-6, 2010.
• "Trends in al-Qaeda and Global Militant Jihad Activity," in Protecting the Homeland from International and Domestic Terrorism Threats: Current Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on Root Causes, the Role of Ideology, and Programs for Counter-radicalization and Disengagement. Eds: Laurie Fenstermacher, Larry Kuznar, Tom Rieger, Anne Speckhard. January, 2010.

Affiliations

• Institute for National Security Studies