Raqqa
Trump and Syria
The White House declared on April 4 that the "military mission to eradicate ISIS in Syria is coming to a rapid end, with ISIS being almost completely destroyed." While the United States is "commi...
Op-eds
Not So Fast
On January 19, the Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy. The second paragraph of the 14-page declassified summary painted a dire picture. “Today, we are emerging from a perio...
Op-eds
Does Trump Realize That His New Iran Strategy Could Suffer a Fatal Blow in Syria?
Note to President Trump: The new Iran strategy that you announced just three weeks ago is hanging by a thread. Its fate will likely be decided in the next few months on the Syria-Iraq border. If...
Op-eds
Perfect Partners
When he won the election, Donald Trump—along with his national security adviser Michael Flynn, his all-purpose counselor Stephen Bannon, and, perhaps, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner—wa...
Op-eds
Does Trump Intend to Thwart Iran’s Ambitions in Syria?
As if President Donald Trump isn’t facing enough problems already (some, unfortunately, of his own making — see Charlottesville, Virginia), here’s one more to add to the list: I...
Op-eds
The Men Who Trade ISIS Loot
A stream of plundered antiquities flowing out of Syria and Iraq to Western art collectors is dependent on men like Muhammad hajj Al-Hassan. Mr. Al-Hassan, a 28-year-old Syrian, says he s...
Op-eds
What Happened in Hamburg
The president-elect’s narrow victory at the end of a volatile campaign quickly led to efforts at planning a meeting of the American and Russian leaders. Relations between the two countries...
Op-eds
It’s Time for the Trump Administration to Step Up in the Qatar Crisis
Late last week, the Gulf crisis took a new turn when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain at long last presented the regime in Qatar with a ...
Op-eds
As pressure on IS grows, Western officials see terror threat ‘metastasizing’
As forces of an international coalition squeeze the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Western officials said they are bracing for a heightened terror threat by battle-hardened foreign fi...
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
Erdogan Mentions New Start With Trump, but Warns Turkey Will Attack Syrian Kurds
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared both confrontational and conciliatory Friday, saying his scheduled talks next week with President Donald Trump could mark a “new beginn...
Op-eds
Deso Dogg, the rapper who cheated death, humiliated the Pentagon and seduced an FBI translator
A B-list German rapper who found stardom when he joined ISIS, cheated death and embarrassed the Pentagon topped himself when he got the girl – an FBI translator who set out to catch him and...
Op-eds
Turkish Airstrikes Complicate Campaign against IS
Turkish jets carried out airstrikes Tuesday and...
Policy Briefs
Trump Faces Dilemma in Battle Against ISIS: Turkey or the Kurds
Last July, in the midst of the presidential election campaign, Donald Trump declared in an interview that he was "a big fan of the Kurds." Speaking about the fight against ISIS on the ground in S...
Op-eds
Mahmoud Abbas, the winner…
One man, one vote, one time: In 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected to a four-year term as president of the Palestinian Authority. He hasn’t bothered to run for re-election since. He a...
Op-eds
How Will Jihadist Strategy Evolve as the Islamic State Declines?
Co-written by Colin Clarke Jihadist strategy has always been dynamic and opportunistic. Milita...
Op-eds
Pentagon Walks Back Promise to Attack ISIS Capital ASAP
Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s claim last week that the assault on Raqqa, the capital of the so-called Islamic State, was “within weeks” was a surprise to the commanders plannin...
Op-eds
Muslims in America
One of the most striking features of the British cemetery at Gallipoli is the attention given to honoring the diversity of the dead. Final farewells from loved ones carved upon stone plaques line...
Op-eds
The Battle of Mosul
Ayman al-Zawahiri was correct. Believed to be ensconced in the tribal lands of Pakistan, the leader of what’s sometimes called al Qaeda Central has dedicated his life to a ji...