Big Takeaways from the Biden-Sanders Debate
Our experts weigh in on the first head-to-head debate between the two main remaining Democratic contenders.
Iraq War
U.S. Sanctions Leader of Pro-Iran Terror Group in Iraq
Another member of Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance,” a constellation of pro-Iran proxies and partners, has been sanctioned by Washington. On Feb. 26, the U.S. Department of State designated Ahmad al-Hamidawi,...
Op-eds
Ending Iran’s Fictions
When the United States killed Qassim Soleimani at the Baghdad airport in the early hours of January 3, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was not the only target. With Soleimani...
Op-eds
U.S. Kills Qassem Soleimani
Donald Trump cuts off Iran’s terror arm in Iraq, while Israel braces for Iranian retaliation
Op-eds
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed himself during raid, U.S. says
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, is dead, according to the White House. President Donald Trump announced Baghdadi’s death earlier today, saying “U.S. Special Operations forces...
Op-eds
Iran-Backed Militias Are In Iraq to Stay
Prime Minister Mahdi is trying to bring the Popular Mobilization Forces under control of the government, but even he probably knows it won’t work.
Op-eds
What Trump can expect from Iran’s supreme leader
Iran’s seizure of two oil tankers — one British-owned, the other British-flagged — in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday dram...
Op-eds
Oman in the Middle
Muscat’s Balancing Act Between Iran and America
Monographs
What the Iraq War tells us about Iran
Excerpt Iranian President Hassan Rouhani signed a law last week ...
Op-eds
Hold IRGC Accountable for Targeting U.S. Troops
The Trump administration has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. The...
Op-eds
U.S.-backed forces declare end to Islamic State’s physical caliphate
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Op-eds
The Middle East still needs democracy
Many Americans remain wary, if not hostile, to the idea of democracy promotion in the Middle East. The Iraq War, which wasn’t launched to bring people power to Mesopotamia, is se...
Op-eds
The Nuclear Deal Keeps America From Confronting Iranian Aggression
In his latest entry in our Atlantic ...
Op-eds
John Bolton: A complex worldview that just might work for Trump
Long before John Bolton was named as President Trump's new national security adviser, a position he assumes on Monday, his name sparked diametrically opposite reactions in Washington....
Op-eds
Unfinished Business
Donald Trump is fond of claiming that his predecessor mismanaged America's role in the world. "And I have to just say that the world is a mess. I inherited a mess," the president noted durin...
Op-eds
Terrorists, Insurgents, Something Else? Clarifying and Classifying the “Generational Challenge”
Co-written by Jacob Zenn. The Trump administration’s ...
Op-eds
Will Trump Stay or Go in Iraq?
Though the battle for Mosul has slowed to a crawl, the collapse of the Islamic State’s territorial caliphate — at least in its Iraqi incarnation — remai...
Op-eds
A grim anniversary: 15 years after 9/11, the war against radical Islamist terrorism is not good
Imagine it's 15 years ago, immediately after the 9/11 attacks. You are told that in September 2016, a couple of major counterterrorism victories would be just around the corner. These impend...
Op-eds
The Chilcot Report
The Chilcot report on the Iraq war ought to elicit two emotions: sympathy and pity for former British prime minister Tony Blair. As was evident by late 2002, when Europeans saw the fri...
Op-eds
The Perils of Joining Turkey in the Fight against ISIS
Turkey’s cabinet last week announ...