Threats

US Targets the Khorasan Group With a New Round of Airstrikes

The Defense Department says the terrorist organization is plotting to attack the United States or Europe. By Jordain Carney

Policy

Obama To Ask Congress for New War Powers To Fight ISIS

After insisting for months he had sufficient authority to fight ISIS, Obama on Wednesday announced he will ask Congress for a new AUMF. By Molly O’Toole

Threats

US, Allies Face Tragic Setbacks in Iraq and Syria

The losses underscore the fact that American support does not automatically lead to victory over ISIS. By Polly Mosendz

Threats

ISIS Shifts Its Propaganda Tactics

The group's newest propaganda videos seem intended to directly counter Western media reports and spin them in a different light. By Polly Mosendz

Threats

Iran's 'Boots on the Ground' in Iraq Could Backfire on US Interests

As the saying goes, politics makes strange bedfellows. Most forget, however, that wars can produce even more perverse partners. By Graham Allison

Threats

Iraq Accuses ISIS of Using Chemical Weapons

Iraq claims the Islamic State used chlorine gas in at least three attacks since the group's summer offensive. By Adam Chandler

Ideas

More Than 6,000 Afghan Interpreters Are Stuck in Bureaucratic Limbo

Unless lawmakers act soon, the U.S. program to get Afghan translators to safety will end on Dec. 31. By Emerson Brooking and Janine Davidson

Threats

How 500,000 Iraqi Refugees Are Surviving Under the Shadow of ISIS

How northern Iraqi Kurdistan's displaced people are coping with war and want. By Alice Su

Business

State Department Clears Sale of 46,000 Tank Rounds for Iraq

The pending sale would bolster the Iraqi Army, which has been fighting Islamic State militants all year. By Marcus Weisgerber

Threats

Turkey Allows Iraqi Kurds To Join the Fight Against ISIS

The shift in policy—and alliances—underscores the importance of saving Kobani from the Islamic State. By Polly Mosendz

Threats

Executions Could Be Iraq's Real Challenge to Unity

The UN warns that the rising number of death sentences in the country's courts fuels sectarian violence—and empowers ISIS. By Allen McDuffee

Threats

The Pentagon Can't Say If It Stopped the Khorasan Terror Threat

Early reports that Mohsin al-Fadhli, one of the group's leaders, was killed during still can’t be confirmed. By Jordain Carney

Threats

The Campaign Against ISIS Finally Has a Name

The operation to 'degrade and destroy' the Islamic State shall be known as ‘Inherent Resolve.’ By Adam Chandler

Threats

Where ISIS Is Taking a Big Hit

Coalition airstrikes aren't stopping ISIS from taking territory in Iraq and Syria, but they have cut affected the amount of black market oil money the group is pulling in. By Steve LeVine

Ideas

What Could US Boots on the Ground Do in Iraq and Syria?

Boots on the ground in Iraq or Syria should be seen as a capability, not a strategy. By Brian Michael Jenkins

Ideas

Obama Is Working With the Wrong Partners in Iraq

The U.S. is behaving like junior partners to Iran and propping up Shiites in Baghdad, instead of Sunnis on the front line. By Bing West

Threats

Report: Mortars Land in Baghdad’s Green Zone

Islamic State fighters are closing in on the Iraqi capital. By Stephanie Gaskell

Ideas

Is the Islamic State a Terrorist Group or an Insurgency?

What’s happening in Iraq and Syria calls for a full-blown counterinsurgency – if the American people can stomach it. By Jerry Meyerle

Ideas

Q&A: Ryan Crocker on Iraq's Role in the Long War Against ISIL

The former ambassador says the Iraqi army is far from finished, but they'll need U.S. special forces with them to help take back provincial capitals like Ramadi. By Bernard Gwertzman

Ideas

Our Best Bet Against ISIL: Kurdish Crude

Make no mistake, the legal battles over Kurdish oil and the military battles over Iraqi territory are part of the same war. By M. Ron Wahid