In The News

Concerns About US-Taliban Peace Deal: Reuters

September 6, 2019
The United States has fought extremist forces in Afghanistan since 2001, including the Taliban. The war resulted in more than 3200 US and coalition military deaths, more than 20,000 wounded along with tens of thousands of more deaths and wounded among civilians and Afghan forces. The Trump administration is in a hurry to withdraw US forces. “The deal, which would see around 5,000 U.S. troops...

Imran in Washington: Times of India

Nayan Chanda July 31, 2019
President Donald Trump, long opposed to US involvement in lengthy military campaigns, counts on Pakistan to help “extricate” his country from the war in Afghanistan. Nayan Chanda identifies a pattern in Trump’s approach on foreign challenges like North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. “Following the ‘threaten then flatter’ playbook Trump suspended $1.3 billion of annual aid to Pakistan before...

Ending America’s Endless War: Foreign Affairs

Bernie Sanders June 29, 2019
Senator Bernie Sanders, a 2020 Democratic candidate for the US presidential election, has long opposed US intervention in the Middle East, starting with his vote against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In an essay for Foreign Affairs, he outlines the history of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and warns of consequences far more severe in a potential war with Iran. Syria, Iraq, Israel and the Persian...

Sri Lanka Attacks: BBC

April 22, 2019
A series of suicide bombings targeted crowded churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and Monday. The government blamed a local jihadist group, arresting 24 individuals, and declared a national emergency. This included a curfew and limits on social media. The attacks killed almost 300 people and injured 500. The country is reaching out to the international community for assistance on...

IRGC Designated a Terrorist Group: New York Times

Edward Wong and Eric Schmitt April 13, 2019
As part of the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign, the US president announced that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful branch of the Iranian military, would be designated as a terrorist organization. This classification would impose sanctions on IRGC members as well as individuals and organizations connected to the group. The decision, opposed by Trump’s national...

Mass Murder, Terror Alert in New Zealand: Stuff

Henry Cooke and Stacey Kirk March 15, 2019
New Zealand mourns a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch that left at least 49 people dead. Three suspects are in custody. At least one gunman, from Australia and reported to espouse white supremacy ideologies, filmed the attack and live-streamed parts online. None of the four had been on security watchlists. “Questions would likely be asked later over how they managed to go unnoticed...

Africa Drawdown: International Policy Digest

Steven Leach March 5, 2019
The United States is planning to reduce its forces stationed in Africa. The poorest nations in Africa are vulnerable to extremist ideologies due to poverty and poor governance. “It is no accident that al Shabaab evolved in a defunct Somali state (in some ways it is shocking that it did not happen sooner), that al Qaeda found a safe haven in rural Afghanistan, that Boko Haram resides on the...