Islamic State in Iraq: Confronting the Threat

by Emile Nakhleh The Islamic State’s territorial expansion and barbaric executions in Iraq and Syria are a gathering threat and must be confronted. American air bombardment, however, is the wrong course of action, and will not necessarily weaken ISIS or… Continue Reading

How to End the Gaza War

by Emile Nakhleh As the killing and destruction rages on in Gaza, and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leadership exchange recriminations and threats, key regional and world players must accept a central truism: No peace can… Continue Reading

Book Review: Temptations of Power

by Emile Nakhleh Does repression force Islamic parties to moderate? This is the key question Shadi Hamid raises in his seminal book on political Islam, governance, and Islamist “illiberal” democratic ideology. Temptations of Power: Islamists & Illiberal Democracy In a New Middle… Continue Reading

Iraq on the Brink

by Emile Nakhleh Much blame could go around regarding the current chaos in Iraq and the recent territorial gains of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Four contributing factors stand out: The 2003 decision by the Bush administration… Continue Reading

Nigerian Terrorism: Causes and Solutions

by Emile Nakhleh Boko Haram’s recent kidnapping of schoolgirls in northern Nigeria has focused the world’s attention on Islamic radicalism and terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel countries. Although the growing terrorist threat in Iraq and Syria has replaced… Continue Reading