Stefano Maria Torelli

Stefano Maria Torelli, Ph.D., is a Research Fellow at the Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) and a member of the Italian Centre for the Study of Political Islam (CISIP).

His research topics include Middle Eastern studies, Political Islam and International Relations. He has obtained his Ph.D. in the History of International Relations at the University of Rome “La Sapienza.” He is currently Teaching Assistant in History and Institutions of the Islamic Countries at the University of Milan and editor-in-chief of the Italian Review for Studies on Political Islam, published by the Italian Center for the Study of Political Islam (CISIP). Torelli has appeared on Italian and international information networks and research institutes as an expert of Islamic and Middle Eastern questions and is a columnist for the magazine of the Italian main newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, Sette. He has published articles and essays on international academic reviews, such as Middle East Policy and Insight Turkey and is co-editor of the book The Arab Spring: Causes and Effects of the Revolts that are Changing Middle East (Vita e Pensiero, Milano, 2012) He is also the author of several book chapters focusing on political Islam and Middle Eastern politics and history.

Articles by Stefano Maria Torelli

Internal Threats to Tunisian Security—From the Borders to the Cities

Background Tunisia is currently going through a very delicate phase in its development. Political tensions are intensifying with the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of 2019. The...

Tunisia’s Counterterror Efforts Hampered by Weak Institutions

About 800 suspected jihadists have returned to Tunisia from abroad, putting pressure on the Tunisian authorities and potentially undermining Tunisia’s political transition. The country is struggling to establish a comprehensive...

The Ben Guerdane Attack and Tunisia’s Tackling of Terrorism

As Tunisian jihadists with Islamic State (IS) in Libya come under increasing military pressure from local and international forces, they appear to be returning home with the intention of capturing...

The Jihadist Threat in Italy

In recent months, a number of incidents have brought attention to the possible threat to Italy from cells or individuals linked to the Islamic State. For instance, since mid-April, some...

Jihadism in Tunisia: The Growing Threat

At the end of December, the Tunisian Interior Ministry reported that during 2014, 23 security force members (mostly soldiers and members of the National Guard) had been killed during the...

Tunisian Jihadists Establishing New Networks with Libyan Islamists

The Tunisian Salafist movement Ansar al-Shari’a in Tunisia (AST) was declared a terrorist organization by the government of Tunis in August 2013. Since then, it seems to have adopted concealment...

Tunisian Extremists Expand Beyond Their Bases in Jebel Chaambi

2013 marked the return of terrorism to Tunisia. Since the middle of the year, terrorist incidents have occurred with greater frequency and now pose an alarming threat to the safety...

Jihadism and Counterterrorism Policy in Algeria: New Responses to New Challenges

Algeria, a forerunner in the fight against Islamist terrorism due to its decades-long experience with Islamist extremists, is facing new challenges in terms of tactics and strategy. Beyond the spectacular...

Meeting the Jihad Challenge in Tunisia: The Military and Political Response

Tunisia continues to go through a critical phase—to its economic and social difficulties, it now adds a political crisis. It is in this context that new security challenges have emerged....

A Portrait of Ansar al-Shari’a Tunisia Leader Abu Iyad al-Tunisi: Turning His Strategy from Jihad Abroad to Jihad at Home

Tunisia is in the middle of a political transition but the internal debate is still monopolized by the quarrel between Islamists and secularists. The stalemate is presenting an opportunity for...

Tunisia’s Elusive Jihadist Network

Over the last month, Tunisia has seen an escalation of the violence and tensions between security forces and the Islamist movements that emerged after the fall of President Zine al-Abdin...