In The News

As Routes to Europe Close, Refugees Consider a Deadly Crossing

Mirren Gidda April 13, 2016
As nations like Macedonia, Turkey, Hungary and Greece block refugees from crossing their borders, a wave of people fleeing conflict, terrorism and retribution in Syria and elsewhere has shifted direction to a more treacherous route. UN refugee officials estimate that the number of refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya in 2016 has nearly doubled from the same period in 2015....

Yemen Conflict: Clashes Rattle Shaky Truce

April 11, 2016
A UN ceasefire is holding in Yemen as parties plan peace talks to end the 13-month civil war that has displaced more than 2 million. Yemen has a population of 27 million. “More than 6,000 people have been killed since a Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign to defeat the rebels and restore the exiled government,” reports the BBC News. “”The UN says most of those killed have been civilians...

At the Nuclear Security Summit, Real Action on the Sidelines

April 1, 2016
Global leaders attending a Nuclear Security Summit are determined to stop nuclear capabilities of North Korea and terrorist groups like the Islamic State. Analysis by Stratfor suggests that meetings on the summit’s sidelines could produce the most security gains. The United States pressed for reinforcing UN sanctions against North Korea – though the defiant country is reported to have test-fired...

Modi’s Middle East Outreach

Harsh V. Pant March 31, 2016
Investing and trading in the Middle East carry high risk due to difficult political transitions and ongoing conflicts. Like other major economies, India leverages economic clout for strategic purposes, especially to isolate rival Pakistan’s military and intelligence capabilities. India, soon to be the world’s most populous nation, has a minority Muslim population that’s larger than Pakistan’s....

Brussels Attacks Point to Broad Terrorist Network in Belgium

Shiraz Maher March 22, 2016
Three explosions in Brussels, two at the airport and one at the metro station, “once again demonstrate the difficulties in securing ‘soft targets,’ particularly where they relate to the transportation system,” writes Shiraz Maher for New Statesman. He also casts doubt on a theory that the attacks are a specific retaliation for the arrest of a 26-year-old associated with the coordinated terrorist...

The Long, Thorny Path to Calling ISIS “Genocidal”

Adam Chandler March 18, 2016
The Islamic State came to world attention for extremism and brutality in late 2013, and it took more than two years and designations by the European Parliament, the United States National Holocaust Museum and US House of Representatives for the US State Department to declare the terrorist group is responsible for genocide in the cities and territory it controls. The Islamic State is not a state,...

Putin Withdrawing Russian Forces from Syria

Max Fisher March 15, 2016
Russia’s president surprised the world by announcing a withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria. Analysts are taking a wait-and-see approach after Russia’s previous announcement that it was tackling extremist groups in Syria and instead aided the Syrian government with attacks on US-backed rebel groups. Russia is expected to withdraw enough troops to pressure the al-Bassad regime into entering a...