Coalition Air Campaign Against IS: Report Card

by Derek Davison It has now been over 14 months since the Obama administration authorized the first strikes in Iraq against the Islamic State (ISIS or IS), and roughly 13 months since that campaign expanded to include IS targets in… Continue Reading

Have Human Rights in Iran Deteriorated after the Nuclear Deal?

by Derek Davison The case of the now-convicted Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, covered in detail by Ali Gharib in this space last week, is only the most glaring example supporting the idea that the human rights situation in Iran… Continue Reading

Restoring UNESCO Funding Is a Matter of U.S. National Security

by Derek Davison In 2011, the member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted overwhelmingly to admit Palestine as a member state. In doing so, it triggered Section 414 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act… Continue Reading

Why No Bigger Regional Role for Egypt and Sisi?

by Derek Davison Since coming to power in a 2013 coup and then being elected to office the following year, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has frequently been compared (for better and for worse) to another military officer-turned politician from… Continue Reading

What Happens if Turkey’s Next Election Is Still Inconclusive?

by Derek Davison On November 1, Turks will head back to the polls to redo their country’s inconclusive June elections. That vote stripped Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of the parliamentary majority it had held since 2002 (the… Continue Reading