About the speaker:

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi is a research fellow at the Middle East Forum, a U.S. think-tank, and the Rubin Research Fellow at the Rubin Center of the IDC Herzliya in Israel. He focuses primarily on the Islamic State and other armed factions in the civil wars in Iraq and Syria. In October 2014 he testified before the UK Parliament’s Defence Committee on the Islamic State and the situation in Iraq. Widely quoted in major media outlets including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, he also has a column on the site Jihadology, focusing on archiving unseen Islamic State documents.

Synopsis:

Relying on internal documentary evidence, this talk will trace the evolution of the Islamic State following the death of Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi until the present day, specifically the financial and administrative aspects of life in IS-controlled territory. IS documents raise questions and nuances beyond the high quality visual propaganda and continual streams of daily media releases of the group. What, for example, does it mean to say that the IS provides public services and healthcare? Underlying IS administration in its controlled areas is its capability to raise funds and gather resources. This talk will also trace some of the realities and myths surrounding the group’s finances. Do foreign patrons play any role in financially supporting IS? How much importance does oil actually have in the IS economy? How does IS apportion expenditures?

Contacts

For invitation enquiries please contact:-

Ms Yvonne Lee
Senior Administrative Executive
Tel: (65) 6790-6489
Fax: (65) 6792-8701
E-mail: [email protected]