Threats
Turkey’s Attack on Kurds Tops US Concerns in Syria, Even as ISIS Keeps Fighting
Over the past three days, the leader of U.S. Central Command and other American military commanders in the region have sounded increasingly alarmed.
Ideas
The Entirely Rational Basis For Turkey's Move Into Syria
Nearly a century of mistrust of America and an obsession with defeating the Kurds sparked its operation in Afrin.
Threats
SPECIAL REPORT: In Shattered Raqqa, Top US General Calls for the World’s Help
Votel assures SDF fighters the U.S. will remain committed to them, but bringing this Syrian city back to life will take more than the troops who liberated it can give.
Ideas
How Should the Pentagon Reshape Its Mideast Posture? Four Indicators to Watch
A tour of possible scenarios reveals what U.S. policymakers ought to be focused on as they chart the future of regional force posture.
Threats
America Quietly Starts Nation-Building in Parts of Syria
The U.S. has escalated its presence in the country, and has signaled no timetable for when it will end.
Threats
The Remarkable Resilience of the Prime Minister of Iraq
In December, Haider al-Abadi declared victory over ISIS. But with Iranian militias still to contend with and tensions with the Kurds high, challenges to peace remain.
Ideas
Don't Raise a New Year's Toast for Defeating ISIS Just Yet
Now we must address America's ambiguity on Syria and the Kurds.
Ideas
America Shouldn’t Take Sides in the 1,400-Year-Old Sunni-Shia Conflict
The Iran-vs.-Saudi Arabia proxy war isn’t worth getting our military involved.
Ideas
The Future Has Arrived for Mohammed bin Salman
But in the wake of his ruthless purge, can he avoid the pitfalls and excesses of a previous generation of Saudi leaders?
Ideas
The Middle East Is Nearing an Explosion
Fear is the one thing preventing it—but could also precipitate it.
Policy
Paying Off Post-9/11 War Debt Could Cost $8 Trillion: Report
Analysts say a reckoning is coming — even as Republicans seek tax cuts that will add at least $1.5 trillion to the national debt.
Policy
Saudi Arabia’s New Strongman Wants the Kingdom to Become a Middle East Arms Powerhouse
The crown prince’s surprise arrests of rivals puts him in position to execute a sweeping diversification of the country’s economy.
Threats
Saudi Arabia's Very Public, Very Risky Palace Intrigue
The arrest of 11 senior figures, including one of the world’s richest men, is a sign of the crown prince’s consolidation of power.
Ideas
America Has Become Dispensable in Iraq
The conflict in Kirkuk offers further evidence of Iran’s steady rise.
Ideas
The War on ISIS Held the Middle East Together
With the fall of Raqqa, the sad story will pick up exactly where it left off in 2014.
Threats
‘We're Not Taking Sides,’ Trump Tells Clashing Kurds, Iraqis
The Pentagon watches two American allies turn on each other, as Iraq’s fractious politics are laid bare once again.
Ideas
Closing the Taliban’s Office in Qatar Would Be a Historic Mistake
With no military solution in Afghanistan, the US needs credible interlocutors to end the war — like the ones who secured the Bergdahl deal.
Threats
Turkey Opens Its Largest Overseas Military Base in Somalia
The military base in Somalia is also a reminder that despite Turkey’s growing regional and national problems, Africa remains central to its global expansion strategy.
Threats
Q&A: Deputy Commander of the War on ISIS
Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Robert Sofge is helping to coordinate a two-front ground war in Iraq.
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