The Saudis and the Turks are scaling up their support for Syrian jihadists while the Israelis contemplate a new war with Hezbollah.
The Dark Saudi-Israeli Plot to Tip the Scales in Syria
read more
Isis
The Islamic State Doesn’t Want True Muslims
The Islamic State is experiencing success recruiting Westerners with no religious background, including Islam.
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.
The Islamic State Needs to Be Stopped, But With Imagination, Not Intervention
Intervention may not be the answer, but the damage that the Islamic State wreaks on the regions it rules requires immediate action.
The Problem with Young Dictators
Bashar al-Assad is not going to age out of office any time soon.
America’s Hydra Problem in the Middle East
ISIS may be more famous for cutting off heads, but it’s Washington that’s learning the hard way not to slash first and ask questions later.
Diplomacy Is the Only Plausible Solution to Syria and Yemen
Unification of the Middle East, though not a caliphate, would be ideal, but unity would be a step in the right direction.
Yemen and the Congress of Reaction
The Saudi-led coalition intervening in Yemen has more in common with 19th-century Europe than the 21st-century Middle East.
Four Years After Gaddafi, Libya Is a Failed State
Weapons are pouring out of Africa’s most oil-rich country while extremist fighters tumble in.