Ideas
SPECIAL REPORT: The Military Loves the Obama Doctrine. Can It Survive Trump?
Commanders say they’re already fighting ISIS the right way: “by, with, and through” local forces.
Ideas
Still Fighting, US Troops from Syria to Afghanistan Await Trump Orders
Special operators move ahead with plans for the press to Raqqa, but uncertainty clouds US war plans.
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
Made-in-America Weapons, War Crimes, and the Outcry Over Yemen
As the US limits some arms sales to Saudi Arabia, human rights groups present 'overwhelming evidence' pointing back at Washington.
Ideas
The Unraveling of Turkey: A View from Ankara
The country continues to descend into uncertainty following the assassination of the Russian ambassador.
Ideas
Here's a Better Way to Understand Urban Violence in the Middle East
A new book plumbs the region's history to frame the events of today and tomorrow.
Ideas
What Are Turkey and Russia Doing in Syria?
CFR’s Steven Cook offers context and backstory behind the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara.
Ideas
How Trump Can Heal US-Gulf Rifts
The president-elect has an opportunity, and an obligation, to reengage with Gulf Cooperation Council members.
Ideas
Trump's Big Test in the Middle East
The president-elect will encounter a region convulsed by change.
Threats
America’s War-by-Airstrike in Three Charts
The U.S.-led air war against the Islamic State in Mosul, Raqqa, and the region, visualized.
Policy
Will Trump Keep Obama’s Top Mideast General?
As candidate, he vowed to demand a new anti-ISIS war plan in 30 days. Here’s the top commander who could answer the call—or be fired.
Ideas
Get Ready to Walk Away from Incirlik
As U.S.-Turkey relations cool, retaining access to the air base will require ending our dependence on it.
Business
Pentagon Fronts Bomb Buys For Allies Fighting ISIS
A special budget account is being used to boost weapons production ahead of allies' formal orders.
Policy
The Intelligence Picture Over Iraq and Syria Has Gotten Much Cloudier
The leader of Air Combat Command says new players on the battlefield are complicating the air fight against ISIS.
Ideas
After Mosul Falls, How Much Rebuilding Help Should the US Give?
Restoring stable governance means creating a government that can supply basic services — and there are several ways the United State can provide assistance.
Ideas
When Allies Become Enemies (Before the War is Over), Obama's ISIS Plan Has Another Problem
The U.S. wanted Turkish and Kurdish fighters to fight, but not fight each other. Now the administration is scrambling to keep local allies with their own interests focused on America's goal: defeating ISIS.
Ideas
Violently Ousting Assad Won't Solve Anything in Syria
It is hardly surprising to hear calls for more U.S. action, but what happens next?
Ideas
It’s Time: The US Should Create A No-Fly Zone, Deliver Aid — and Save Syria
The act of alleviating human suffering may fuel a new dynamic that ultimately begins to change the course of the war.
Ideas
Turkey Won't Solve Its ISIS Problem By Invading Syria
Erdogan launched an intervention in Syria, while gutting his own government's ability to confront the problem at home.
Business