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.
Threats
John Allen: ISIS Losing, But Iraq Still Isn't Ready To Win
Iraq’s government may not be ready to handle what happens when it defeats ISIS.
Threats
The Tikrit Offensive May in Fact Be Bad News for Iraq's Future
If the Iraqi forces are to defeat ISIS in Tikrit, they need local residents to rise up against the terrorists. But increasing Iranian influence is casting doubt on that outcome.
Threats
Iraqi Security Forces Launch Offensive To Retake Tikrit from ISIS
A battle for the strategic city of Tikrit has begun, with Iranian-backed militias and Iraqi security forces battling Islamic State militants.
Threats
An Anti-ISIS Summit in Mecca
A little-noticed conference in Mecca on 'Islam and Counterterrorism' offers a counterpoint to the Obama administration's narrative on how to defeat ISIS.
Threats
SecDef: The Strategy Against the Islamic State Is Working
After a day-long conference in Kuwait, Defense Secretary Ash Carter left open the possibility of a sharpened U.S. approach against the Islamic State.
Threats
Why Arab Ground Troops Won't Defeat ISIS
It is one thing for the Egyptian air force to bomb ISIS from the air. But the ability of Arab militaries to fight an organized, motivated enemy is highly suspect.
Threats
The Larger Truth of 'Violent Extremism'
Recent history reveals the president's deliberate choice of wording could be read as a statement about the nature of terrorism itself.
Policy
For the First Time, Americans Support US Ground Troops Against ISIS
The Islamic State group's brutality has dramatically shifted public opinion in the United States.
Threats
US Military Reveals Massive Plan To Attack, Retake Mosul From Islamic State
As if sending a warning to Islamic State fighters, the U.S. military reveals details of a massive attack plan to retake Mosul, Iraq.
Policy
Jeb Bush Is His Own Man -- And Most of His Competition -- on Foreign Policy
The U.S. “no longer inspires fear in our enemies” says Jeb Bush, painting Obama as indecisive, but saying little about what he’d do differently.
Threats
What ISIS Really Wants
The Islamic State believes it is an agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and how to stop it.
Threats
Why Each ISIS Video Is More Horrifying Than the Last
The terrorist group has committed many atrocities, but it focuses its propaganda power on productions that will shock the world.
Threats
Jordanians: 'We Want Nothing Now, Only To Get Daesh Out'
Sidelined no more, as King Abdullah's military strikes ISIS for al-Kasasbeh's death, Jordanians vow, 'We are fighters. We will devour them.'
Threats
UAE Shows the Air War Against ISIS Is Almost Entirely on America's Shoulders
As allies' search-and-rescue limitations come under the spotlight, it increasingly appears that the U.S. will be the primary actor in the air war against ISIS until the very end.
Threats
Jordan’s Retaliation Is the Real Arab Awakening the Pentagon Has Been Waiting For
Suddenly for Jordan’s King Abdullah, the fight against terrorism becomes 'our war.'
Threats