Ideas

ISIS Lost Its Land. Then It Began to Lose Its Ability to Inspire.

As with Osama bin Laden, the most intriguing fact about Baghdadi’s assassination was its location, deep in what was considered enemy territory.

Threats

ISIS Leader Baghdadi Killed Himself During US Special Ops Raid, Trump Confirms

Trump claims, against the evidence, that killing Baghdadi was administration's "top national security priority."

Ideas

How to Protect America After the Syria Withdrawal

Fighting ISIS just got harder—but it’s still possible, and it’s necessary.

Ideas

What the US Can Learn From Iranian Warfare

Tehran's approach to proxy wars offers a surprising lesson.

Threats

US Intel Aircraft to Remain Over Syria As Ground Forces Pull Out

SecDef Esper heads to Mideast, NATO to talk about the future fight against ISIS.

Threats

The US Literally Doesn’t Know How Many ISIS Fighters Have Escaped In Syria

“We just have less eyes on the ground to know for sure what is happening,” said one senior defense official.

Threats

Anti-ISIS Operations In Syria Cease Amid Turkish Assault

“The SDF is clearly focused on the northern border to protect their forces,” a defense official said.

Threats

ISIS Will Benefit from US Withdrawal, Says Retired 3-Star Who Helped Train Syrian Rebels

Michael Nagata says the move will embolden ISIS, Russia, and Iran — and could end the extraction of intelligence from thousands of ISIS fighters held by Syrian rebels.

Policy

Trump Threatens to ‘Release’ ISIS Fighters into France, Germany

The president wants European governments to repatriate and try citizens being held by Syrian resistance forces.

Ideas

Where’s the Coverage of Civilian Casualties in the War on ISIS?

New studies reveal important gaps in coverage of this aspect of the anti-ISIS operation, largely a war of air strikes.

Threats

Why Won't Europe Take Back ISIS Fighters from Syria for Trial?

Italy took one. Hundreds more languish while governments slowly decide what to do next.

Ideas

Ep. 47: Mosul, revisited (part two) with Mike Giglio and Dan Gabriel

We continue our remembrance of the Iraqi and coalition forces pushing the Islamic State group out of Mosul two years ago this week.

Ideas

Ep. 46: Mosul, revisited (part one) with Omar Mohammed of Mosul Eye

This episode we travel to Paris to meet the Iraqi historian behind secretive dispatches during the Islamic State group's occupation of Mosul.

Ideas

I Wrote to John Walker Lindh. He Wrote Back.

The American jihadist thanked me for my interest in the Islamic State.

Ideas

Why Baghdadi Risked a Video Appearance

ISIS faces dangers as an organization that are more significant than the ones Baghdadi does as an individual.

Ideas

ISIS Relaunches as a Global Platform

The Sri Lanka bombings were a preview of the Islamic State’s future.

Ideas

Egypt’s President Is Crushing Dissent — and Fueling ISIS

Even if the White House is in denial about al-Sisi’s harm to regional instability, Congress shouldn't be.

Threats

The ‘Caliphate’ Is Gone. Where’s the ‘Caliph’?

As the war on the Islamic State moves into a new phase, its leadership tries to adapt.

Policy

Now What? Congress Quiet after ISIS Territorial Defeat

The relative silence in Washington is a testament to the ambiguous nature of Saturday’s victory.