In The News

International Business Times: Trump Reveals Afghanistan Plan

Ishani Roy August 22, 2017
The United States has been at war with extremists in Afghanistan since 2001, and President Donald Trump will send more troops to the country. In a speech, he expressed recognition that the long-running war is a divisive issue for Americans, many impatient with costs and progress, that rapid exit would leave a power vacuum. He declined to offer specifics, but said goals include “winning,” putting...

Asia Times: US, China Vie for Influence in the Philippines

Noel Tarrazona August 11, 2017
Philippine troops continue to battle militants affiliated with the Islamic State in Marawi, a city in the southern part of the country. With a goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia, the militants rely on urban warfare tactics including taking civilian hostages, land mines, snipers and ambushes with more than 400,000 people displaced. China and the United States compete in...

New Statesman: Mosul Has Fallen, But Islamic State Is Far From Defeated

Shiraz Maher July 20, 2017
The Islamic State held Mosul for only a short period, entering in July 2014. Waging battle since October 2016, a coalition of troops has resumed control of what was once Iraq’s second largest city. “Yet the battleground defeats by the Iraqi army and the US-led Western coalition (which includes the UK, Germany and France), as well as Kurdish forces, have done little to dent the triumphalism of the...

Haaretz: ISIS Assault on Tehran May Lead to Surprising Alliances in the Middle East

Zvi Bar'el June 8, 2017
Islamic State terrorists struck the Iranian parliament and Khomeini shrine in Tehran, leaving 17 dead. Throughout the region and stretching into Afghanistan and beyond, the terrorist group has targeted Shias, moderate Muslims and anyone that does not agree with their extremist goals. Conspiracy theories abound, and war in Syria has fueled extremism, attracting jihadist fighters from around the...

Foreign Policy: The Islamic State and the End of Lone-Wolf Terrorism

Jen Easterly and Joshua A. Geltzer May 25, 2017
A suicide bomber attacked after a pop concert in Manchester, England, killing 22 and injuring 60. The Ariana Grande concert was largely attended by young girls and women. The attacker, Salman Abedi, 22, was born to Libyan parents in England, and the Islamic State claimed credit for inspiring the attack. Analysts warn of more random attacks as the war in Syria shrinks ISIS territory, fighters...

The New York Times: A Cycle of Killing on a Border in Kashmir

Hari Kumar and Ellen Barry May 24, 2017
Indian soldiers based along the de facto border with Pakistan, in Kashmir, report grisly murders of their fellow soldiers, including beheadings and mutilations. Tensions run high along the border area known as the Line of control. Some accuse the government of an inadequate response, including resistance to returning victims’ remains – possibly an effort not to publicize the brutalities. Families...

DNA: Iran Warns Will Hit Militant “Safe Havens” Inside Pakistan

May 8, 2017
Iran, a largely Shiite nation, and Pakistan, largely Sunni, share a border of just over 2900 kilometers. To the north is Afghanistan. “The head of the Iranian armed forces warned Islamabad on Monday that Tehran would hit bases, safe havens and cells inside Pakistan if the government does not confront Sunni militants who carry out cross-border attacks,” reports Daily News & Analysis. Iran...