Policy

Jeb Bush Bets Voters Care More About Obama’s Iraq Than His Brother’s

With the U.S. public again finding its appetite for intervention, the real question facing Jeb Bush for 2016 is: What would you do about Iraq now?

Threats

What Have 9 Months of Airstrikes Against ISIS Achieved?

There’s no end in sight for an air campaign that has killed some 8,500 militants and cost more than $2 billion.

Threats

U.S. Starts Training Moderate Syrian Rebels

The U.S. military will help Syrian rebel forces fight ISIS, but what happens if they come across military loyal to Bashar al-Assad?

Business

US Allies Cleared to Buy Arms Worth $3.5 Billion

The State Department OKs two key missile deals for Pacific Rim nations, a million-plus mortar rounds for Iraqis fighting ISIS, and more.

Threats

US, Iraq Forces Working To Protect Ramadi, Dempsey Says

The Joint Chiefs Chairman says that the fall of Ramadi to Islamic State militants wouldn't be a symbolic defeat for the Iraqi government.

Ideas

No, the 1998 Iraq Bombing Campaign Isn't a Model To Strike Iran

Only 12% of the targets in Operation Desert Fox were related to Saddam Hussein's WMD sites.

Ideas

What Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi Must Do Next

Tikrit exposed that Iran is not as strong as advertised in Iraq — and Washington not as weak.

Policy

Pentagon’s Top Lawyer: Our Current War Law Still Works, But We Need a Better One

In a rare address, Stephen Preston argues that Congress’ sanction of the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan permits today’s air strikes against the Islamic State and more.

Threats

Biden: Iraq's Momentum Is In The ‘Right Direction’

Vice President Joe Biden sets the stage for the Iraqi Prime Ministers’s upcoming visit to Washington.

Threats

'Iraq Is Finished'

Corruption and war have eroded all what was left of the country.

Threats

Iraq's Youth Are Ticking Time Bombs That Can Still Be Defused

If the US is serious about ISIS threat, Congress should prioritize better, more accessible education to the millions of youth affected by the insurgency.

Threats

The 5,548 ISIS Targets Struck By Coalition Air Forces, in 3 Charts

The Pentagon’s latest data release finally includes airplanes that were destroyed in fall 2014.

Threats

Pentagon: Yes, Taking Tikrit Just Got Harder

DoD official concedes that Iran was helping Iraq take back its city.

Threats

What's at Stake in Tikrit

The latest campaign against ISIS has quickly become a flashpoint between Iran and the U.S. for influence in Iraq, says the Council on Foreign Relations' Stephen Biddle.

Threats

There Is No Global Jihadist ‘Movement’

The world of Islamist fighters is deeply fragmented and constantly shifting.

Policy

The Only Thing the White House and Congress Agree On About the War Against ISIS

Senators and Obama’s top officials agree on one thing on the war against the Islamic State -- Congress is unlikely to authorize it, and it’s unlikely to matter.

Policy

Why Obama's ISIS War Powers Request Is Going Nowhere

A month after the White House released a new draft to authorize military force against the Islamic State, the measure hasn't gained support in either chamber or party.

Threats

Why Are Foreign Fighters Joining ISIS?

Foreign fighters participate in some of ISIS' 'worst acts,' but there isn't one clear explanation on why they join the battle in the first place.

Threats

Why Americans Are as Divided About ISIS as They Are About Everything

America is bitterly divided over the threat of Islamic extremism partly because we are now bitterly divided over almost everything.

Threats

Keeping Iraq Unified Will Be Nearly Impossible

When the history of the second Iraq civil war is written, the February death of an influential Sunni may prove to have ended the last, best chance for Iraqi reconciliation.