Policy
Why Obama's ISIS War Powers Request Is Going Nowhere
A month after the White House released a new draft to authorize military force against the Islamic State, the measure hasn't gained support in either chamber or party.
Threats
Why Are Foreign Fighters Joining ISIS?
Foreign fighters participate in some of ISIS' 'worst acts,' but there isn't one clear explanation on why they join the battle in the first place.
Threats
Why Americans Are as Divided About ISIS as They Are About Everything
America is bitterly divided over the threat of Islamic extremism partly because we are now bitterly divided over almost everything.
Threats
John Allen: ISIS Losing, But Iraq Still Isn't Ready To Win
Iraq’s government may not be ready to handle what happens when it defeats ISIS.
Threats
An Anti-ISIS Summit in Mecca
A little-noticed conference in Mecca on 'Islam and Counterterrorism' offers a counterpoint to the Obama administration's narrative on how to defeat ISIS.
Threats
SecDef: The Strategy Against the Islamic State Is Working
After a day-long conference in Kuwait, Defense Secretary Ash Carter left open the possibility of a sharpened U.S. approach against the Islamic State.
Threats
Why Arab Ground Troops Won't Defeat ISIS
It is one thing for the Egyptian air force to bomb ISIS from the air. But the ability of Arab militaries to fight an organized, motivated enemy is highly suspect.
Threats
The Larger Truth of 'Violent Extremism'
Recent history reveals the president's deliberate choice of wording could be read as a statement about the nature of terrorism itself.
Policy
For the First Time, Americans Support US Ground Troops Against ISIS
The Islamic State group's brutality has dramatically shifted public opinion in the United States.
Threats
What ISIS Really Wants
The Islamic State believes it is an agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and how to stop it.
Threats
Why Each ISIS Video Is More Horrifying Than the Last
The terrorist group has committed many atrocities, but it focuses its propaganda power on productions that will shock the world.
Threats
Jordanians: 'We Want Nothing Now, Only To Get Daesh Out'
Sidelined no more, as King Abdullah's military strikes ISIS for al-Kasasbeh's death, Jordanians vow, 'We are fighters. We will devour them.'
Threats
UAE Shows the Air War Against ISIS Is Almost Entirely on America's Shoulders
As allies' search-and-rescue limitations come under the spotlight, it increasingly appears that the U.S. will be the primary actor in the air war against ISIS until the very end.
Threats
Jordan’s Retaliation Is the Real Arab Awakening the Pentagon Has Been Waiting For
Suddenly for Jordan’s King Abdullah, the fight against terrorism becomes 'our war.'
Threats
Obama Insiders Divided About Shifting Fight From Assad to ISIS
To save Syria, destroy ISIS? Not Assad? Not everyone in Obama’s administration agrees you can have one without the other.
Threats
An Incomplete Victory in the War Against ISIS
Islamic State forces have reportedly lost the Syrian border town of Kobani, but it's not necessarily a turning point in the war.
Threats
Why Syria's Assad No Longer 'Has to Go'
In the face of even worse prospects for security in the region, U.S. officials have backed down on declarations against the Syrian dictator. By Adam Chandler
Threats
US To Send 400 Trainers and Hundreds More Troops for Syrian Train-and-Equip Mission
After months of planning, the Pentagon’s training mission for Syria’s rebels is beginning to take form. By Gordon Lubold
Threats
5 Months of Air Strikes in Iraq and Syria in 4 Charts
Five months, 1,689 strikes, and more than 3,200 targets, the campaign against the Islamic State rumbles on. By Kedar Pavgi
Threats