There may be a responsible way to fight the Islamic State, but the U.S. will have to leave its boots in the closet and the drones in the hangar.
Behind Washington’s ‘Crackpot’ Deal with Turkey to Fight ISIS
Under the guise of fighting ISIS, Turkey’s president is re-igniting a bloody war with the Kurds for his own political purposes.
The Kurdish Elephant
In their latest deal to fight ISIS, Washington and Turkey are treating the Middle East’s largest stateless minority like pawns. That’s a huge mistake.
How the Islamic State Makes Terror Palatable to Those It Rules
The Islamic State has two advantages over the chaotic violence of Iraq and the murderous Assad regime in Syria: services and justice.
Will the Nuclear Deal Induce Iran to Help Stop the Islamic State?
Those expecting the Iran nuclear deal to lead to regional security cooperation between the United States and Iran may be disappointed.
Is the ISIS War About Oil After All?
The unfolding intervention against the Islamic State shows that oil doesn’t just guide U.S. foreign policy. It constrains our ways of thinking about it.
Will Use of Surface-to-Air Missiles by Islamic State Lure U.S. Into Wider War?
Shooting down Iraqi Army helicopters could result in a wider war against the Islamic State.
While Saudi Arabia Goes to War Abroad, It’s Simmering at Home
To hear Saudi leaders tell it, the kingdom is under constant threat from Iran. But graver threats of their own making lurk at home.
The Islamic State and the Terrible Twos
If we continue to think about the Islamic State as a force to be fought on the battlefield, its second year will be worse than its first.
Nuclear Weapons Program Probably Not Among the Many Crimes of Assad
The building destroyed in a 2007 Israeli raid most likely wasn’t a nascent nuclear weapons program begun by Syrian President Assad.