Ideas
As US Tightens Sanctions, Iran Seeks Leverage — and Russia May Win Either Way
Iran's recent relatively mild public statements belie the cards it might play in regional conflicts.
Ideas
An Extraordinarily Expensive Way to Fight ISIS
The tale of a 2017 bombing raid in the Libyan desert that pitted stealth bombers and 500-pound bombs against 70 ragtag fighters.
Ideas
US Officials Just Mislabeled a Syrian Terror Group as al Qaeda. Worse, They’re Missing a Far Bigger Threat
The HTS group is not part of al Qaeda, but at loggerheads with it. Meanwhile, a smaller group is plotting global jihad.
Ideas
Syria Is Now In Charge of the UN's Disarmament Efforts. Really.
The U.S. says the Assad regime’s repeated use of chemical weapons on civilians should disqualify it from the post.
Threats
What the Long, Corruption-Enabling, Mostly Failed Afghanistan-Stabilization Effort Tells Us
It’s about managing expectations: ours about the timeline, the foreign population’s about governance.
Ideas
Arab Women in Syria, Inspired by Kurdish Sisters, Join the Fight — and the Movement
"There is no difference between us and them, we are both women. What is really important now is women are having a role."
Ideas
Neither Precise Nor Proportionate
Trump’s attack on Syria was unserious but intended to relieve emotional pressure—and in many ways, worse than doing nothing at all.
Ideas
A Trump Doctrine for the Middle East
The region has now been Trump-branded as “a troubled place”—and one America is not particularly interested in helping.
Ideas
Trump's Syria Strategy Actually Makes Sense
And it does not involve a commitment to change the horrible and predictable outcome of the civil war.
Ideas
The Unconstitutional Strike on Syria
AUMF? The Syrian government is not Al Qaeda, nor an affiliate, nor a successor, nor anything except a sovereign nation against which the president has decided to go to war.
Ideas
The Strike May Have Hurt More than It Helped
Far from instilling fear in Assad, it may merely have created a short-term munitions shortage.
Threats
Pentagon Declares Strike Successful. Here’s A Look at What Went Into It
U.S., French, and British planes and ships used a wide variety of precision weapons to hit Syrian chemical weapons facilities. Some saw their first day of combat.
Threats
Lawmakers Ask: Where’s the Broader Syria Strategy?
No surprise that Democrats questioned Friday’s retaliatory strike, but even a few GOP defense hawks wondered aloud.
Threats
BREAKING: US, Allies Strike Syrian ‘Chemical Weapons Capabilities,’ Trump Says
The president said deterring the use of chemical weapons is "a vital national security interest” of the United States."
Threats
Mattis Confirms Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria, But No Trump Decision to Strike Yet
The National Security Council discussed options with the president for responding to the attack, but the administration was still syncing up with allies Thursday evening.
Threats
The US Military Budget Shows Just How Deep Donald Trump is Getting Into Syria
Despite Trump's distaste for global entanglements, the U.S. is spending more and more in Syria.
Threats
If Trump Won't Lead in Syria, Someone Else Will
Unless the president can articulate and lead a plan, Syria’s future will be determined by Russia, Iran, and Turkey.
Threats
Assad Defies Another American President
The Syrian strongman saw the red line on sarin as a green light to do everything else.
Threats
What Is America Going to Do About Syria Now?
After the latest suspected chemical attack, the United States has four options.
Ideas