by Paul R. Pillar The battle for Raqqa is now being waged, and the diverse forces that have been helping to extinguish the self-proclaimed caliphate of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS or IS) soon must face squarely what becomes of… Continue Reading
by Reese Ehrich With its escalation of the undeclared war in Syria, the Trump Administration risks a direct military confrontation with Russia. On June 20, the United States shot down an Iranian drone flying near allied rebels in southeastern Syria.… Continue Reading
by Derek Davison More than two weeks after they began boycotting Qatar, four Arab nations—Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—have presented the Qataris with a list of demands that they say Doha must meet in order to… Continue Reading
by James M. Dorsey International soccer governance is tying itself up in knots with football associations grappling with the fallout of the Gulf dispute between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Qatar that lays bare the contradictions embedded in their… Continue Reading
by Richard Sokolsky and Paul Stronski Geopolitical conditions in the South Caucasus have experienced a substantial shift in recent years. Accordingly, the Trump Administration needs to adjust assumptions in advancing American interests in the region to make the most of its capabilities.… Continue Reading