The Real Barriers to a Final Nuclear Deal with Iran

by Shireen T. Hunter Another round of negotiations between world powers and Iran on its nuclear program ended without any agreement in sight last week in New York. Many causes for the failure to reach an agreement have been cited,… Continue Reading

Iraq Looking for an “Independent” Sunni Defense Minister

by Barbara Slavin Iraqi President Fouad Massoum said that the government was looking for an independent Sunni Muslim to fill the post of defense minister in an effort to improve chances of reunifying the country and defeating the group that calls… Continue Reading

A Promising Ally in Syria

by Wayne White Alongside the wave of Syrian Kurdish refugees into Turkey this month is an equally unsettling story: alarming gains by the Islamic State in an offensive against a potential ally. Syria’s Kurds carved out their own regional bastion… Continue Reading

How Obama Should Beat ISIS

by Emile Nakhleh In a speech before the United Nations on Wednesday, President Barack Obama offered a rhetorically eloquent roadmap on how to fight the Islamic State (ISIL or ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. He called on Muslim youth to… Continue Reading

Rouhani Looks to Warmer Ties with Saudis, Tepidly Criticizes US Syria Strikes

by Jim Lobe New York — On his second trip to the UN General Assembly as Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani Tuesday said he looked forward to better relations with regional rival Saudi Arabia and only tepidly criticized the US attack on Islamic… Continue Reading