Powerful forces are maneuvering to torpedo any Syrian peace process that could leave room for Bashar al-Assad.
So Why Did Turkey Shoot Down That Russian Plane?
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Isis
Ratcheting Up the War on the Islamic State
Whether due to personal conviction or pressure from Congress, President Obama is committing U.S. forces to defeating the Islamic State.
Syria: Mission Possible
There’s no grand, exciting solution to the war in Syria. It’s going to take an endless parade of meetings where people sit and talk. And talk. And talk.
Paris Attacks Widen Gap Between Germany and the Rest of the West
Other Western powers could learn from Germany’s policy of toleration.
After Paris and Beirut, It’s Time to Rein in Saudi Arabia
America’s leading Sunni ally was propagating a violent, sectarian religious ideology long before ISIS came on the scene.
Je Suis Charlie (Manson)
What the psychology of mass murderers — from Charles Manson on up to Bashar al-Assad and ISIS — can teach us about the method behind their madness.
Military Intervention in Syria Is the Problem, Not the Solution
From Paris to Beirut, the Islamic State’s latest atrocities are a calculated effort to bring the war in Syria home to the countries participating in it.
After the Paris Attacks, What Happens Here?
In the wake of the Paris attacks, Americans can’t let the hawks stampede us back into panic and illusions that US military supremacy can remake the world.
Is It Wrong to Mourn Paris More Deeply Than Beirut?
Paris was a wake-up call for Westerners — a reminder that we usually have the luxury to ignore the costs of war, even as our governments inflict them on foreigners.
In Foreign Policy, Nature May Love a Vacuum
No, it’s not U.S. reluctance to go all in against Syria that has created a vacuum in its foreign policy for Russia to fill.