By Paul R. Pillar Confusion has prevailed regarding the purposes of the U.S. troop presence in Syria, and whether the declared purposes are the actual ones. Originally the expedition was widely understood to be all about combating the Islamic State… Continue Reading
By Shireen T. Hunter The death of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (IS), is good news. However, it would be a mistake to think that his demise means the end of IS. Even if IS… Continue Reading
By James M. Dorsey If there is one theme, beyond corruption and a host of economic and social grievances, that have driven protests — large and small, local, sectoral and national – across the globe, it has been a call… Continue Reading
By Talal Mohammad and S. Mohammad Hassan Bahr al-Uloom The youth chanted, “Ali wiyak Ali!” “Ali is with you!” as they ripped down the picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala, one… Continue Reading
By Emile Nakhleh The demise of Osama bin Ladin in 2011 did not end al-Qaeda. Nor will the apparent demise of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi end the terror of the Islamic State. Al-Baghdadi’s death is a major psychological blow to the… Continue Reading