Ideas
And the War Came: A Call for Unity—Not to Arms—in My Hometown Orlando
A Pentagon reporter raised in Orlando returned to measure the distance from the battlefield to the homefront, and found something unexpected.
Science & Tech
Air Force Wants New Plane to Replace A-10, Fight ISIS
Generals float idea of new CAS aircraft — and beyond that, an “arsenal plane” or “flying Coke machine.”
Ideas
What the West Can Do about The Biggest Obstacle to Libyan Stability
The more Libya's foreign allies can weaken Gen. Khalifa Hifter, the more fighters will break away from him and join the new government.
Science & Tech
Meet the Navy SEAL Leading the Fight Against ISIS Messaging
Michael Lumpkin, who joined the State Department after serving as DoD's special-ops leader, believes he’s got a model for future efforts to counter extremism online in real time.
Policy
A Judge Shouldn’t Force Congress to Debate War
Feckless lawmakers are certainly ducking one of their most solemn duties. But a soldier’s lawsuit won't fix things.
Threats
Iraq Is Trying to Fight a War Around 50,000 Civilians in Fallujah
Only 800 people have fled the city since Baghdad began attacking IS positions on Sunday. What happens next may set the template for Mosul as well.
Threats
America’s New Special Operations Commander Wants to Predict the Future
With so many elite troops fighting ‘an extremist phenomenon that’s gone rabid’ in failed states, Gen. Tony Thomas wants to get his operators ahead of the curve.
Ideas
Stop Saying We're Dropping 'Cyber Bombs' On ISIS
It is better to see cyber operations for what they are: changing spreadsheets, intercepting email, jamming comms, and a lot of deception.
Ideas
To Beat ISIS, We Must Think Smaller
People become radicalized when they lack hope, jobs, and purpose. Local investments can break the cycle.
Threats
After ISIS, Americans Fear Cyberattacks Most
Nearly three in four people consider them a major threat to the U.S., but presidential candidates have largely ignored the issue.
Science & Tech
What A War With ISIS in Libya Would Look Like
With three competing governments, some of which hate each other more than the Islamic State, things would get tricky fast.
Ideas
Petty Officer Keating Died 2 Miles From the Syrian Front. How Far Are You?
The war came to him. What will it take for it to reach the rest of us?
Policy
Soldier Takes Obama to Court Over War on ISIS
A U.S. Army officer stationed in Kuwait argues the president has violated the War Powers Resolution in a case that carries major constitutional implications for the White House.
Science & Tech
How Traffic to This YouTube Video Predicts ISIS Attacks
One company is using metadata from video posts, Wikipedia entries, and other sites to forecast geopolitical unrest.
Threats
Watch: This Is What It's Like to Live and Die for ISIS in Iraq
A violent and graphic new video suggests the reality of fighting for the Islamic State is much different from the dominating successes their online messages portray.
Ideas
Leave Root Causes Aside—Destroy the ISIS ‘State’
Of course it would be daunting to solve the conflicts the Islamic State feeds on. But that isn’t, or shouldn’t be, the mission.
Ideas
Meet the Small Iraqi Town that Breeds Jihadis
No matter where you turn when covering the Islamic State's two years of terror in Iraq and Syria, one name repeatedly crops up: Tal Afar.
Ideas
Disrupt ISIS’ Online Campaign in Africa
As Internet access expands in Africa, so does the Islamic State's network-facilitated extremism.
Ideas