Sirwan Kajjo is a Washington-based journalist and researcher specializing in Kurdish politics, Islamic militancy, and Syrian affairs. He has contributed book chapters on Syria and the Kurds, published by Indiana University Press and Cambridge University Press. His writings on Syrian and Kurdish issues have appeared in the Middle East Forum, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the New Lines Institute, and other prominent think tanks and publications. Kajjo is also the author of Nothing But Soot, a novel set in Syria. He holds a BA in Government and International Politics from George Mason University.