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

Ending the Suffering in Syria?

by Helena Cobban August 26 saw the failure of yet another attempt by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to negotiate the terms of a new cessation of hostilities in the now 64-month-long civil… Continue Reading

Iranian Sponsorship of Terrorism?

by Peter Jenkins “Iran—the foremost state sponsor of terrorism—continues to exert its influence in regional crises in the Middle East through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—Qods Force (IRGC-QF), its terrorist partner Lebanese Hizballah, and proxy groups,” intoned Director of National… Continue Reading

Qatar and the Islamic State

by Giorgio Cafiero and Alex Stout  In the fall of 2014, the Obama administration prioritized securing support from Washington’s allies in the Sunni Arab world before launching a multinational air campaign against targets in Iraq and Syria belonging to Islamic… Continue Reading

Terror in Paris

by Emile Nakhleh The several terrorist attacks in Paris yesterday evening and the ensuing barbaric carnage raise a number of troubling questions about the nature of terror and the growing perception that Salafi Islamic radicalism is waging a war on… Continue Reading