Ideas
US Troops Should Withdraw from Syria, Not Protect Oil Companies
Keeping 500 troops in-country to help Delta Crescent Energy drill only hurts America’s national security.
Policy
To Block Trump’s Troop Withdrawals, Congress Turns An Old Tactic Upside Down
Congress historically has tried to force presidents to bring troops home. But in the last three years, lawmakers have repeatedly tried to make laws to do the opposite.
Ideas
Why Is Russia Undermining International Efforts in Syria?
Western negotiators must give no ground in Moscow’s attempts to evade its responsibilities.
Threats
Top US General in Mideast: ‘I Do Worry About China Quite a Bit’
Beijing is trying “to establish a beachhead,” says U.S. Central Command’s Gen. Kenneth McKenzie. “I think this is a significant factor we need to confront.”
Threats
A ‘Mass Breakout’ of ISIS from Syrian Prisons Remains a Risk, Pentagon Watchdog Says
The coalition has had “little or no direct access” to the facilities since Turkey’s October invasion.
Policy
2020 Dems Reject Military Use In Idlib
On paper, Democrats have remained open to the use of military force for humanitarian purposes.
Ideas
The US Should Get Ready for Syria’s Return from War
Trump seems determined not to play much of a role in shaping how Syria’s myriad conflicts are resolved. That’s a mistake.
Ideas
The Inconvenient Truth About ISIS
The group is even bigger now, and America’s conflict with Iran is only making the fight against it more complicated.
Threats
The Iraq War Has Cost the US Nearly $2 Trillion
The figure includes $838 billion in “emergency” and “overseas contingency operation” funding and $59 billion spent by the State Department and USAID on Iraq and Syria.
Ideas
ISIS Is No Reason to Stay in Iraq
Don’t take the wrong conclusion from recent news about the group’s “resurgence.”
Ideas
Don’t Let Iran Tensions Stop the Battle Against ISIS
My recent journey through northern Iraq revealed how fragile the region remains, and how extremism could once again take root.
Ideas
Most-Read of 2020 (So Far)
We're three months into the next year already, if you go by the fiscal calendar. Here's the most-clicked posts on our site since Oct. 1.
Ideas
Best of 2019: Editor's Choice
Even with several best-of lists, it's hard to choose among the thousands of articles we published this year. Here are a few notables that we haven't noted elsewhere.
Ideas
Best of 2019: Ideas
Revisit some of the best op-eds and commentary we had the privilege of publishing over the past year.
Threats
Esper 'Concerned' About Russian Influence in Egypt, Saudi Arabia
The defense secretary says Moscow's other Mideast efforts worry him more than its growing presence in Syria.
Ideas
An End to Magical Thinking in the Middle East
It’s time to abandon the dogma that’s driven our foreign policy and led to so much disaster in the region.
Ideas
Russia’s Military Is Writing an Armed-Robot Playbook
The new tactics and operating concepts will draw on three years of Syrian operations.
Ideas
What America’s Allies Really Think About Trump’s Syria Decision
During a few wild weeks in October, U.S. allies watched as their own worst nightmare befell America’s Kurdish partners in Syria. Here’s what that means for America’s standing in the world.
Threats