Oil Prices Cripple Iraq’s ISIS War
Co-authored by Daniel R. DePetris Iraq had a miserable 2014. The Islamic State (IS) reentered the country in large numbers early in the year, routing the Iraqi security forces i...
Nouri al-Maliki
Sandstorm
The great medieval historian Ibn Khaldun centered his understanding of history on asabiyya, which is perhaps best translated as esprit de corps mixed with the will to power. In his maste...
Op-eds
Barbarism of Iranian Militias Based in Iraq, Syria Being Seriously Overlooked
The US’s deadly strike on the al-Qaida-linked Khorasan group leader Mohsin al-Fadhli...
Op-eds
The U.S. Is Following Iran’s Lead In Both Syria and Iraq
President Obama has made clear that the purpose of his limited intervention in Iraq is to shore up the central government in Bagh...
Op-eds
A Widening Gulf: Impediments to Saudi Rapprochement with Iran
Despite...
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
Barbarians at Jordan’s Gate
AMMAN – The terrorist army formerly known as ISIS has conquered about a...
Op-eds
The Enemy of My Enemy is Not Necessarily My Friend
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan received a group of Afghan Mujahadeen in the White House. The US president sought to arm these fighters to resist an Afghan incursion by their mutual enemy:...
Op-eds
The Amazing Coincidences of Iran’s Javad Zarif
On Wednesday, in the Red Sea, Israeli commandos intercepted a freighter carrying a secret cargo of munitions loaded in Iran and hidden under bags of cement. The weaponry included dozens of Syrian...
Op-eds
The Meaning of Fallujah
Al-Qaeda is back in Fallujah and Ramadi, where we defeated them in the recent past. Everyone in the Middle East knew it, and they all knew al-Qaeda was on the ropes. Recruitment was more di...
Op-eds
The Muddle East
If Congress refuses to support American military action against the Assad regime in Syria, and President Barack Obama declines to strike or strikes meekly, will American power—that marriage...
Op-eds
Assad Reading the Signs
The Syrian president has "no other choice but to win."
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...
Op-eds
Breaking the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nexus
Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade...
Op-eds
Breaking the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nexus
Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade...
Legislative Testimonies
Al Qaeda in Iraq Claims ‘Storming’ Operation in Baghdad
Co-authored by Bill Ardolino Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) claimed credit for last week's deadly suicide assault on the Justice Ministry in Baghdad that killed 22 Iraqis....
Op-eds
Whose Side is America On?
In President Barack Obama’s inaugural...
Op-eds
The Kurds’ Sensitive Juncture
Last week’s killing in Paris of three female Kurdish activists with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has spurred much...
Op-eds
Losing Petraeus, Losing Iran
The general was one of few who understood that Iran was at war with the US, and no bargain could be struck
Op-eds
Obama Runs From Iran
The Iranian challenge to US interests and allies is the most pressing strategic issue for Washington in the Middle East. With the US election less than a week away, now is as good a time as any t...