Welcome and CNN clip

Waq al-waq has had well over 3,000 visitors today, which is far above our daily average. For those new to blog and looking for information on Yemen and al-Qaeda in […]

by

Gregory Johnsen

December 21, 2010

Get the Big Think newsletter on Substack

Waq al-waq has had well over 3,000 visitors today, which is far above our daily average. For those new to blog and looking for information on Yemen and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula I would recommend clicking on the articles on the side or doing a search for things like “al-Qaeda” or AQAP in the upper left-hand corner.

Here is the link to my appearance on CNN last night.

Gregory Johnsen

Near East Studies Scholar, Princeton University

Monthly Issue April 2026

The Energy Transition

In this monthly issue, we examine how our understanding of energy — and how we source and use it — is evolving.

1 video 11 articles

Two hands surround a glowing, illustrated sun with a human face, against a green background with radiating lines.

Related Content

Mind & Behavior

Kidnapped by terrorists. Lost a finger. Still became a rock-climbing legend.

A day in the Sierra Nevada with Tommy Caldwell reveals how pain, trauma, and “elective hardship” became the foundation of his fortitude.

by Namir Khaliq

A shirtless man, resembling Tommy Caldwell, climbs a steep rock face high above the ground, reaching for a hold with one hand and gripping the rock with the other; trees and a valley stretch out below.

Big Think Books

Why don’t Americans trust experts? Just ask a paranormal investigator.

For his new book, “The Ghost Lab,” Matt Hongoltz-Hetling spent time with paranormal investigators to understand their relationship with science and society.

by Ross Pomeroy

A woman, resembling a paranormal investigator, holds a rectangular glass dish above her eyes, which are illuminated by light shining through the dish in a dark setting.

“The gods will not be chained”: A short story by Ken Liu

The first in a series of short stories by the Hugo- and Nebula-winning author that inspired the cult hit "Pantheon."

by Ken Liu

A retro computer displays a ghost on the screen as pixelated chains drift across the foreground, reminiscent of a scene from a Ken Liu short story. This digital haunt unfolds against a vivid orange background.

Beyond screen time: Rethinking kids’ tech use with the “Goldilocks hypothesis”

The digital world will always entail risks for teens, but that doesn’t mean parents aren’t without recourse.

by Kevin Dickinson

Young child sitting on a couch, illuminated by the screen of a tablet they are holding in a dimly lit room.

Learn from the world's biggest thinkers.

© Copyright 2007-2026 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.