In The News

The ISIS March Continues: From Ramadi on to Baghdad?

Hassan Hassan May 20, 2015
The self-proclaimed Islamic State continues to scratch its way to controlling territory in Iraq, capturing Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar province, after Iraqi troops fled. The terrorist group also made gains in Syria. Such military successes increase the terrorist group’s ability to attract new recruits. The United States and other countries provide support with air strikes, but ground...

The Saudi Connection: Wahhabism and Global Jihad

Carol E. B. Choksy and Jamsheed K. Choksy May 14, 2015
The United States and Saudi Arabia, once strong allies, disagree over how to handle multiple challenges in the Middle East. The royal family condemns terrorism to western diplomats, but promotes a fundamentalist ideology: “the Saudis have been the most persistent source of support for global jihad by spreading Wahhabism abroad to radicalize foreign Muslims and then giving financial support to...

Islamic State Faces a Complex Web of Militant Groups and Violence in Pakistan

Samira Shackle May 4, 2015
The Islamic State terrorists have made no secret of plans to extend their so-called caliphate across Muslim nations beyond the Middle East, and their extreme ideology is attracting supporters throughout South Asia, including Pakistan. Pakistan has plenty of militant groups, including the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, with acts of violence taking place every day. The...

The Moral Issue of Our Time

Jeff Nesbit April 24, 2015
Taking steps to reduce climate change is shaping into a moral cause. For his first major encyclical, Pope Francis will address climate change, prior to the UN Climate Change Conference later this year: “People of all ages, from all demographics and all corners of the planet, are beginning to recognize that significant changes are occurring in our ecosystem, and they’d like to see someone, anyone...

No Clear Winners or Losers in Yemen as Conflict Rages

Frank Gardner April 15, 2015
Little progress has been made in Saudi-led air campaign to remove Houthi rebels in control of western Yemen, the country’s most populated area. The Saudi goal is to “reverse the takeover of Yemen by rebels and restore the legitimate president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, to power,” reports Frank Gardner for BBC News. The Houthi success “is due, not so much to any alleged support from Iran, but to the...

The Evolving Jihad in South Asia

Arif Rafiq April 10, 2015
Improving ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan threatens extremists in both nations and in the neighborhood: “Pakistani Taliban factions are closing ranks; al-Qaeda aims to subvert peace talks between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban; and jihadists connected to the Islamic State appear to be seeking to establish a foothold in the region through sectarian violence,” writes strategic political and...

Attacks in Denmark, France Stoke Fears of Rising Anti-Semitism in Europe

Beenish Ahmed March 30, 2015
Anti-Semitic crimes are on the rise in Europe for 2015. Anti-Semitism in Europe may have contributed to a rise in emigration to Israel. In 2014, 7,000 Jews left France for Israel. In the same year, immigration to Israel worldwide increased 32 percent from the previous year, reports Beenish Ahmed for ThinkProgress. In February, a Jewish guard was murdered at a Copenhagen synagogue after the murder...