In The News

Turkey Launches Heaviest Air Strikes Yet on Kurdish Group

Humeyra Pamuk and Nick Tattersall July 29, 2015
With support from NATO, Turkey announced plans to hit the Islamic State terrorists hard in northern Iraq through reports suggest the nation is also attacking shelters, depots and holdings of Kurds – one of the few groups willing to supply ground troops to the battle and showing some success. Turkey also refuses to provide air cover to Kurdish fighters in Syria. By targeting Kurds, Turkey could...

When Violence Undermines Legitimacy

Rami G. Khouri July 7, 2015
The Middle East and Africa offer a full palette of methods for thwarting national interests, undermining international legitimacy and spreading extremism. Rami G. Khouri, writing for the Daily Star in Lebanon, offers a brief outline: US missile strikes in Libya and Yemen target militants; the South African government allowed visiting president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, to flee after courts...

Challenge of “Recent-ism” in the Middle East

Alexander Evans June 25, 2015
Governments can get caught up in sweeping generalizations about the brutal extremists rampaging through Iraq, Syria and Libya based on the most recent news. ISIL, ISIS, the Islamic State – analysts in and out of governments quarrel over the terrorist group’s name and translation – have slaughtered thousands and may control up to half of Syria and a third of Iraq. The extremists’ hold over any...

The New Ukrainian Exceptionalism

Matthew Rojansky and Mykhailo Minakov June 23, 2015
Ukraine struggles to survive as an independent nation against external and internal forces – Russia, the powerful neighbor next door, and Russian sympathizers throughout eastern Ukraine. “Russian-backed aggression, relentless propaganda and meddling in Ukraine’s domestic politics have pushed many Ukrainians to adopt a deeply polarized worldview, in which constructive criticism, dissenting views,...

Best Way to Defeat the Islamic State in Syria: Remove Assad

Con Coughlin June 10, 2015
Defense ministers and analysts are grasping at straws on how to eliminate Islamic State extremists and stabilize the Middle East. Removing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad could be a solution. The United States and coalition partners invaded Iraq and removed Saddam Hussein from power; 12 years later, the country is in chaos, threatened by brutal extremists, with violence and desperate refugees...

What It’s Like to Be a Somali Refugee in Kenya

Samira Shackle May 29, 2015
Extremist groups in Africa like Al Shabab terrorize entire communities who refuse to cooperate with their rigid rules. Journalist Samira Shackle profiles a man who had a close encounter with the group working at a television station in Mogadishu. Al Shabab extremists “confiscated equipment and gave staff a stark choice: join us, or die.” He eventually fled to Kenya where he works as a journalist...

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...