Ramadi Falls–And Iran Will Come To The Rescue?
Experts most everywhere agree that the fall of Ramadi to Islamic State is a disaster. It solidifies IS control over a major east-west route from Ramadi (75-100 miles from Baghdad) to deep into Sy...
Al Anbar Governorate
Jihad 2.0: Social Media in the Next Evolution of Terrorist Recruitment
Download full testimony here Cha...
Legislative Testimonies
ISIS’ Attack on Ramadi Just Upended U.S. War Plans
ISIS is reportedly marching on key Iraqi city of Ramadi—upending the momentum that the U.S.-led military coalition seemed to have just days ago, and threatening to shatter an already delica...
Op-eds
Al Qaeda Is Beating the Islamic State
Co-authored by Bridget Moreng The Islamic State’s lightning offensive through Iraq and Syria last year has dominated the headlines, but the jihadist group that has won the...
Op-eds
How Many Fighters Does the Islamic State Really Have?
Estimates of the number of fighters in the ranks of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are extraordinarily wide-ranging. On the low end of things, CNN’s Barbara Starr recently...
Op-eds
The Truth About ISIS… They’re Better at Twitter Than War
The Islamic State’s real social media skill makes commentators too willing to believe its shaky territorial claims
Op-eds
ISIS Is Losing Its Greatest Weapon: Momentum
Evidence suggests that the Islamic State's power has been declining for months
Op-eds
Islamic State Assaults Iraqi Army Base in Anbar
Co-authored by Caleb Weiss The Islamic State claimed to have breached the perimeter of Camp Habbaniyah in Anbar province, via photographs released o...
Op-eds
The Islamic State’s Stalled Offensive in Anbar Province
In September, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) launched a devastatingly effective offensive in Iraq’s Anbar province that for a time masked the losses the group was experienc...
Op-eds
The Fight Goes on in Anbar: ISIL vs the World
Over the past week, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been able to build on its previous...
Op-eds
The Islamic State’s Anbar Offensive and Abu Umar al-Shishani
The recent gains in Iraq’s Anbar province by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have, justifiably, garnered a great deal of media attention. McClatchy ...
Op-eds
US Needs Plan to Defeat ISIS — But Also For What Follows
... If extremist Shiite militias are allowed to take charge of Anbar, a predominantly Sunni province of Iraq controlled in part by ISIS, serious human rights abuses against Sunnis will f...
Op-eds
Zawahiri’s Revenge
The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham -- which has now rebranded itself "the Islamic State" (IS) -- is trying to position itself as the new leader of the global jihadist movement. After being...
Op-eds
The Jihadist Governance Dilemma
Co-authored by Amichai Magen After making astounding territorial gains in its war against the Iraqi government, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – which has refash...
Op-eds
The Arab Spring and Al-Qaeda’s Resurgence
Chairman McKeon, Ranking Member Smith, distinguished members of the committee, it is an honor to appear before you to discuss the state of al-Qaeda, its affiliates, and associated groups. My test...
Legislative Testimonies
An Edge in the Desert
Weapons are pouring into the Middle East at an unprecedented rate. The Pentagon recently ...
Op-eds
The Arab Spring and Al-Qaeda’s Resurgence
Download the full testimony (PDF). Chairman McKeon...
Legislative Testimonies
Al-Qaeda’s Offensive Against Iraq’s Sahwa
Co-authored by Bridget Moreng Though it was largely considered a spent force at the time the U.S. withdrew from Iraq, al-Qaeda in Iraq’s (AQI) rebound is by now unden...
Op-eds
The Battle of Syria
Twelve years ago today, we were staring at smoking rubble in downtown Manhattan and at the Pentagon, counting the dead, wondering who had committed this atrocity and why, fearful of what they mig...
Op-eds
Previewing Iraq’s Provincial Elections
This Saturday, Iraqis head to the polls to vote for provincial councils -- the country's first elections since U.S. troops withdrew sixteen months ago. The balloting comes at a time of growi...