Threats

Do Qatar, UAE Airlines Threaten US National Security?

The biggest U.S. airlines say Gulf states’ subsidies could force them to abandon the large planes needed to move troops overseas. One veteran analyst calls this hogwash.

Threats

How Many US Troops Were Killed By Iranian IEDs in Iraq?

Far fewer than Congress thinks, according to newly declassified documents from U.S. Central Command.

Threats

How ISIS Turns the Economy Into A Recruiting Tactic

In ISIS-controlled areas, economic persecution and high unemployment are leaving the desperate with few options.

Ideas

Incirlik Air Strikes Aren’t Changing Any Games Just Yet

Two weeks after U.S. planes started bombing ISIS from Turkish bases, the number of strikes in Syria has declined.

Ideas

Pakistan Must Convince the World of its Intentions

Tackling terror, all terror, should be Job No. 1 for Islamabad.

Policy

Here's How the Supreme Court Could Make Congress Own the War on ISIS

The Court has wisely left it to the political branches to work out their inter-branch conflicts over foreign policy. But decisions over war and peace are special case scenarios.

Policy

One Year into the War That Congress Won't Declare

What if U.S. lawmakers don’t accept their duty to oversee the U.S. campaign in Iraq and Syria?

Policy

Pentagon Pressures Turkey to Strike ISIS, Tighten Border

More than a year into the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State militants, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is demanding Ankara do more.

Ideas

ISIS, Syria, and Turkey’s New War on the Kurds

After a decade of improving relations, Ankara has resumed open war on the largest stateless ethnic group in the world.

Threats

A Better Deal With Iran Is Possible

A congressional “no” doesn’t have to mean “no, never.” It can also mean “not now, not this way.” Here’s what a better deal might look like.

Threats

Odierno Wades Into GOP Battle Over Iraq War

If Iraqi soldiers don’t make progress in the coming months, the Pentagon should recommend embedding troops on the battlefield, says Gen. Raymond Odierno, the outgoing Army chief of staff.

Science & Tech

Google Earth Is Helping Syrians Call In US Air Strikes

Kurdish militia fighters are using Android tablets and free Google mapping tools to track battle lines and coordinate close air support with the US military.

Ideas

Drifting Down The Nile: US, Egypt Prepare to Talk

The upcoming strategic dialogue will seek to expand the relationship beyond security issues—or maybe just get things back on track.

Policy

Three Cabinet Secretaries Crashed John McCain's Iran Hearing

The Armed Services Chairman makes it known he didn’t ask Secretary of State John Kerry, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to testify on the Iran deal — the Pentagon did.

Business

Saudi Arabia Responds to Iran Deal: Give Us 600 Patriot Missiles

The Kingdom’s request for additional interceptors could be the first of many new Mideast arms purchases aimed at warding off Iranian missiles.

Threats

Britain Digs In Against ISIS, Russia

Sensing a “darker threat environment,” America’s ally launches its first strategic review in half a decade.

Threats

Expect Less Than Advertised As Turkey Enters ISIS Fight

White House officials called Turkey's new role in the fight against ISIS 'game-changing.' In reality, Ankara's escalation is likely to achieve much less than expected.

Ideas

Obama's Unnecessary and Risky Foreign Policy Gamble

The President's supporters say he's taking America 'out of the rut of history' with Iran, but he's actually making a generational mistake.

Policy

Turkey's ISIS Escalation Just Bought a Brutal Regime More Time

Ankara’s decision to attack ISIS and the recent Iranian nuclear deal both benefit the flagging efforts of Bashar al-Assad's army in Syria.

Ideas

The Lost Pilgrims of the Islamic State

Like past pilgrimages to China and the Soviet Union, the migration of Westerners to the Islamic State group points to the tragic intersection of estrangement and utopian hope.