Don’t Try to Imitate the Russians in Syria

by Paul R. Pillar Among the latest in the Washington Post editorial page’s unrelenting drumbeat of criticism on Syria—which often does not make clear exactly what the United States should be doing there, except that whatever it does should involve… Continue Reading

Turkey’s Gains in Syria

by Robert Olson On August 24, Turkey invaded Syria to retake the Islamic State (ISIS or IS)-held town of Jarabulus. Along with Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces comprised of anti-Assad, jihadist, and pro-Turkish Turkmen forces, Turkey has continued to drive… Continue Reading

Is Wahhabism to Blame for al-Qaeda and ISIS?

by Joseph Cozza and Giorgio Cafiero Late last month, Microsoft apologized after online users observed that Bing’s translation of Daesh—what many Arabs call the Islamic State (ISIS or IS)—was “Saudi Arabia.” According to Microsoft’s official apology, Bing relies on a… Continue Reading

The Latest Syrian Ceasefire

by Derek Davison Raising hopes for an end to, or at least a pause in, the devastating Syrian civil war, a ceasefire negotiated last week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov went into… Continue Reading