Ideas
A Soldier's Dilemma
In 2016, Captain Nathan Smith sued President Obama for issuing an order to engage in the battle against ISIS without congressional approval. Can his case clarify the debate over President Trump’s strikes in Syria?
Ideas
Why ISIS Declared War on Egypt's Christians
The group has been exporting Iraq-style sectarian tactics to the Arab world’s most populous country.
Threats
SOUTHCOM: ‘ISIS Is In the Western Hemisphere’
They’re not fighters returning from Iraq and Syria, says Adm. Kurt Tidd; they’re Latin Americans who became radicalized online.
Ideas
The Idea of ISIS Will Outlive the Caliphate
Despite claiming responsibility for attacks like the one in London, the group is dying. It will retain the ability to inspire.
Ideas
Three Lingering Questions For Trump's New Plan to Fight ISIS
If Trump sends more American boots to Syria, who will fight alongside them, and — stiil — what comes next?
Ideas
Corruption Helped ISIS Take Mosul. Victory Cannot Last While It Persists
Without reducing the corruption that plagues the country's government, terrorism will be impossible to defeat.
Ideas
US Counterterrorism Strategy Must Be About More than ISIS
Even as Trump focuses on the Islamic State, other dangerous groups need attention.
Threats
Trump's Travel Ban Will Not 'Help' ISIS Recruitment
The trope posits an overly simplistic understanding of jihadist radicalization, and demeans Muslims in general.
Threats
Trump's Immigration Order Is a Propaganda Victory for ISIS
The American president has reinforced the victimhood narrative at the core of the Islamic State’s recruitment pitch.
Science & Tech
The Drones of ISIS
Islamic State fighters are launching an ever-wider assortment of deadly drones, even as their UAV factories come under heavy attack.
Ideas
How Many Airstrikes Did US Forces Execute in 2016?
Estimates from government releases show Iraqi and Syrian targets got hit the hardest.
Ideas
ISIS Ends Its Separate Peace With Turkey
The politics of the attack and its avowal make the Istanbul massacre much more pivotal than many others.
Threats
After ISIS, Iraq's Militias Face Another Fight: Legitimacy
The Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, face a post-war battle for influence that connects Tehran and Washington.
Ideas
The American Leader in the Islamic State
How a military brat from Texas became a devoted jihadist.
Ideas
ISIS in the Caribbean
The spread of Salafi Islam and a government’s blind eye toward recruiting has helped lead more Trinidadians to fight for ISIS than any other country in the Western hemisphere.
Ideas