US Opinion and Commentary

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ISIL Cannot be Defeated Without Concerted Turkish Involvement

Posted July 29th, 2015 at 11:02 am (UTC-4)
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Despite facing this extraordinary array of power, ISIL manages to hang on, and in some cases even expand. And no one can say with any confidence when or how it will be defeated. How can that possibly be?

Turkey Grants Access for US Warplanes as Syrian War Escalates

Posted July 28th, 2015 at 5:53 pm (UTC-4)
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By Barbara Slavin After four years of trying to avoid major entanglement in Syria’s multisided civil war, the Obama administration is being pulled deeper into the fight to stem the advances of the group that calls itself the Islamic State (IS). Turkey’s decision at long last to allow the U.S. to fly armed drones and […]

Suspicions Surround Turkey’s Escalation Against Islamic State

Posted July 28th, 2015 at 3:20 pm (UTC-4)
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A day after reaching a deal with the United States to step up its military campaign against ISIS, Turkey pounded Kurdish and Islamic State targets. The move immediately prompted skepticism about Ankara’s true intention in signing the pact, which allows the US to use its bases in Turkey against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria. Critics of Prime Minister Erdogan say it’s all a ruse to conduct raids on Kurdish separatists, who observers agree are critical to ousting IS militants in the region. Obama pushed hard to get Turkish involvement, but it remains to be seen if the new cooperation will bear fruit over the long-term.

The Emerging Threat of the Lone Wolf in the Fight Against Terror

Posted July 24th, 2015 at 8:37 am (UTC-4)
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The new lone-wolf era will test this country’s ability to balance security and civil liberties, hopefully more wisely than was the case in the overreaction after Sept. 11, 2001. It’s a delicate task. More attacks will drive new calls to crack down through surveillance and more aggressive policing — creating more jihadists.

It’s Not the Taliban – It’s the Islamic State

Posted July 21st, 2015 at 12:47 pm (UTC-4)
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Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is now offering a new rationale for keeping American forces in Afghanistan, suggesting that the Islamic State — which has begun to make its presence felt with bombings mainly in the country’s east — poses a potential threat that must be confronted before it spreads.

For the U.S., the Choice Between Saudi Arabia and Iran Should be an Easy One

Posted July 14th, 2015 at 2:59 pm (UTC-4)
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The turmoil in the Middle East in recent years has forced many nations to reevaluate their relations with the countries of the region. It is only natural that the U.S. would do so as well. However, and despite their ideological and sometimes political differences, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have managed to sustain what has been a mutually beneficial relationship.

The Right Path to Counter Daesh

Posted July 10th, 2015 at 11:08 am (UTC-4)
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Daesh may be capable of dramatic acts of violence, but people across the globe and in the Middle East overwhelmingly reject its vision. We want to harness that rejection of Daesh and strengthen popular support for a different path, by giving a platform to those billions that are too often sidelined by Daesh’s headline grabbing violence.

A Sunni Solution to ISIS

Posted July 9th, 2015 at 3:28 pm (UTC-4)
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Increasingly, the Iraqi Sunnis are demanding their rights. They want a Sunni Regional Government, similar to the Kurdish Regional Government, with a Sunni militia, like the Peshmerga, to protect the population. Why should Washington support such a solution?

The U.S. Military Should “Go Small” to Defeat ISIS

Posted July 2nd, 2015 at 2:51 pm (UTC-4)
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Static, fortified bases cede the initiative to the enemy. In modern warfare, being static means being vulnerable to both precision and asymmetric attack. Unconventional and light is the better approach—even if it carries a higher degree of tactical risk.

The Islamic State’s Je Ne Sais Quoi

Posted June 18th, 2015 at 11:25 am (UTC-4)
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The problem with much of the earlier outreach in the Middle East and Muslim world is that it’s hard to persuade folks by just changing the wrapping paper on the box if the contents of that box, in this case U.S. policies that alienate Arabs and Muslims, remain essentially the same.

The Iran-ISIS Connection

Posted June 12th, 2015 at 5:58 pm (UTC-4)
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The president decided that a deal with Iran is the be-all and end-all of his second term in office. And to reach that deal, he would have to make nice with the clerical regime in Tehran, subordinating all other regional issues that might get in the way.

Yes, the U.S. Military Uses Social Media to Target ISIS

Posted June 12th, 2015 at 4:29 pm (UTC-4)
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Last week Air Force Gen. Hawk Carlisle regaled an audience about how the U.S. military used the social media accounts of ISIS members to pinpoint and destroy an ISIS facility. Good work, Air Force. Well-done. Now please shut up.

US Ratchets Up Fight Against Islamic State

Posted June 11th, 2015 at 1:47 pm (UTC-4)
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With Obama’s decision to deploy an additional 450 US troops to help Iraq defeat Islamic State militants comes the inevitable question.

Are we back in Iraq?

Obama’s Tacit Alliance with Iran Against ISIS Is Doomed to Failure

Posted June 9th, 2015 at 12:20 pm (UTC-4)
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Rather than revamp a failed strategy, U.S. officials now appear ready to rely (at least tacitly) on Iran to help roll back the jihadis.

No Easy Fix for the Middle East

Posted June 8th, 2015 at 2:19 pm (UTC-4)
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The Islamic State. Iraq. Syria. The words speak for themselves: the Middle East is unraveling. US policy has been faulted – from conservatives and liberals alike – for allowing the chaos – and failing to secure a deal between Israel and the Palestinians. But there’s another narrative gaining steam, one that says Obama isn’t to blame. There’s no easy fix.