Double Trouble: Beware of the Irani-Sudanese Partnership
It’s a rare day that the Sudan Tribune runs headlines that garner international attention. But on September 1, the...
Jihadism
They Have a Strategy
During a press conference on August 28, Barack Obama had a rare moment of candor. “We don’t have a strategy yet,” the president said in response to a question about the prospect...
Op-eds
The Islamic State’s Vulnerability
As the U.S. military joins with its allies and temporarily-aligned enemies to fulfill President Obama’s promise to “...
Op-eds
Faith, Fanaticism and Fantasy in the Middle East
“God created war,” theorized Mark Twain, “so that Americans would learn geography.” That’s as true today as it was two centuries ago. How many of us would be able to...
Op-eds
Jihadism and ‘the language of good and evil’
''The battle of Waterloo," the Duke of Wellington is supposed to have said, "was won on the playing fields of Eton." The battle against the Islamic State could be lost on the campuses o...
Op-eds
Gen. Flynn’s Warning
Two recent interviews have been the topic of lively debate within the so-called foreign policy community. First, President Obama told ...
Op-eds
Syria Spillover: The Growing Threat of Terrorism and Sectarianism in the Middle East
Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, and distinguished members of the committee, on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,it is a...
Congressional Testimonies
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
Modern Jihadists
A secret CIA plot was revealed last week: Beginning almost ten years ago, the agency set in motion a plan to make Osama bin Laden...
Op-eds
The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Enemy
When Ottoman armies marched into Europe in the mid-14th century, Europeans started looking hopefully eastward for enemies of the Turks. Spanish and French kings sent ambassadors to Tamerl...
Op-eds
Jihadist Blowback?
On May 24, a deadly shooting occurred at the Brussels Jewish Museum that left four dead: an Israeli couple, a French volunteer worker, and a Belgian museum employee. A few days later, as the susp...
Op-eds
Our Libya Intervention — Failure Disguised as Success
There was some rare good news coming out of Libya this month. Oil exports were set to resume from...
Op-eds
Successes and Failures of the U.S. and NATO Intervention in Libya
Download the full written testimony here (PDF). Ch...
Congressional Testimonies
Middle East Future Shock
Almost a hundred years ago, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the last in a succession of Islamic caliphates stretching back more than a millennium, transformed the Middle East – first, i...
Op-eds
Not Quiet on the Northern Front
Co-authored by Jonathan Spyer The disintegration of the Syrian state into warring enclaves is bringing with it new challenges and threats for Israel. Alarm bells have now been s...
Op-eds
An Escalation in Tunisia: How the State Went to War with Ansar al-Sharia
Co-authored by Bridget Moreng Since the fall of Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, the country has been challenged by the aggressive growth of a dom...
Op-eds
Syria’s Jihadist Twitter Wars
In March 2012, Omar Hammami, the American jihadist who called himself Abu Mansour al Amriki and fought for Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia, released a short videotape ...
Op-eds
Al Qaeda’s Expansion in Egypt Implications for U.S. Homeland Security
Chairman King, Ranking Member Higgins, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss al Qaeda’s presence in Egypt. The uprisings throughou...
Congressional Testimonies
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...
Congressional Testimonies
The Arab Spring and Al-Qaeda’s Resurgence
Download the full testimony (PDF). Chairman McKeon...