Is the Islamic State fast-forwarding from its caliphate to a final battle with the West?
The Islamic State Finds Rushing Headlong to the Apocalypse Easier Than State-Building
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Iraq
Are the U.S. and Russia Forming 5 New States in the Middle-East?
The Middle-East map is being redrawn in Syria and Iraq by Moscow and Washington.
No Game Will Be Changed by Attacking the Islamic State From Turkey
The Islamic State isn’t going anywhere soon.
After Iran, Is North Korea Next?
The Obama administration has concluded deals with Iran and Cuba. Will North Korea round out the trifecta?
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.
What Purpose Do the Islamic State’s “Faces of Death” Videos Serve?
In the past, the Islamic State’s uber-violent videos may have been part of a recruiting scheme, but their purpose has become more focused.
Islamic State Turns Moral Relativity on Its Head Once and for All
Recent research reveals that retribution is a natural consequence of a moral code, but the Islamic State is breaking all the rules.
Stephen Walt’s Call to Adopt a Containment Policy Toward the Islamic State
Don’t be surprised to find the Islamic State in the UN one day.
Is U.S. More Selective in Air Strikes Against Islamic State Than Drone Strikes Elsewhere?
Not exactly, but the U.S. is using great discretion because of the propaganda value to the Islamic State when air strikes kill civilians.
According to U.S., Islamic State May Not Be Worth a Strategy
Washington may still be wedded to thinking of the Islamic State as a second-rate threat that only needs tactics, not a strategy, to defeat it.