Bilateral Complicity: The Next US President and Egypt

by Ryan J. Suto The current US presidential campaign debate on Middle East policy has focused disproportionately on the US response to the Islamic State (ISIS or IS). This series will focus instead on five alternative Middle East policy challenges… Continue Reading →

There Is No Military Path to Victory in Afghanistan

by Rajan Menon Few will say it, but the facts are indisputable: America’s war in Afghanistan has failed. There comes a time when persisting in a lost cause amounts to foolishness, indeed irresponsibility. That time has arrived. Washington’s minimal goals… 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 →

Mark Kirk Wanted Release of Americans Held in Iran Before He Was Against It

by Eli Clifton Back in March 2015, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) placed the highest priority on seeking the release of Americans held in Iran. He, along with 18 of his Senate GOP colleagues, wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry… Continue Reading →

What’s Next in the Turkey-Kurd-U.S. Imbroglio?

by Robert Olson This is a question asked by Metin Gurcan in Al-Monitor on August 31. Gurcan proffers several possible scenarios as to what Turkey’s policies toward the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People’s Protection Units… Continue Reading →