Environmental Change: An Overlooked Threat Multiplier in Mali

by Anna Cizek In the first decade of the 21st century, al-Qaeda faced a deteriorating support base because of its role in the deaths of many innocent Muslims. As a result, Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (now al-Qaeda’s leader) directed the… Continue Reading

After Raqqa: The Islamic State and the War on Terror

by Maximilian Beauchene On July 4, 2014, the first Friday of Ramadan, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi climbed to the pulpit of the Great Nur al-Din Mosque in Mosul to announce his self-proclaimed caliphate. His declaration was a historic milestone in the post-9/11… Continue Reading

Killing Civilians in Iraq and Syria

by Edward Hunt The ongoing effort of the United States to eradicate the Islamic State by aggressively launching airstrikes against targets that include non-combatants is causing significant harm to civilians in Iraq and Syria. Estimates of civilian deaths from airstrikes… Continue Reading

Details of US Student’s 10-Year Sentence in Iran Reveal Yet Another Arbitrary Prosecution of Western National

by Center for Human Rights in Iran The Iranian judiciary’s sentencing of American academic researcher Xiyue Wang to 10 years in prison on unspecified espionage charges reflects the continued ability of security and intelligence agencies to dictate unlawful and arbitrary… Continue Reading

Donald Trump’s Road to Debacle in the Greater Middle East

by Alfred W. McCoy The superhighway to disaster is already being paved. From Donald Trump’s first days in office, news of the damage to America’s international stature has come hard and fast. As if guided by some malign design, the new… Continue Reading