Iraq

The Cult of ISIS and Foreign Recruits

By Mona Alami

Analysts have described the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) as the most powerful terrorist organization of this decade. However, few have discussed the shared characteristics between the extremist nebula and modern cults, particularly regarding the recruitments of westerners and fresh converts.

Why Did Abadi Criticize Saudi Arabia?

By Ramzy Mardini

During his first visit to the White House as the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi surprised Washington when he criticized the Saudi Arabian-led air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Arming the Kurds to Defeat ISIS in Mosul

By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

Buttressed by anti-ISIS coalition airstrikes, Kurdish forces (Peshmerga) have successfully maintained their front lines against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL). Both Baghdad and Washington need the Kurds to strike at ISIS in the symbolic city of Mosul, but some in the US government fear that directly arming the Kurds could encourage a future war […]

US-Iran: Deal or No Deal, This Is Not the Question

By Hanin Ghaddar

The June 30 deadline will make or break the US-Iran nuclear deal. Until then, the preliminary accord, its interpretation, and implementation will be the center of attention for all stakeholders. However, less attention will be given to the developments in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon.

The State of the Islamic State

By Mona Alami

The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has upped this ante this month, conducting a series of attacks in a number of Arab countries. While the operations in Syria, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen pursue the organization’s goal of destabilizing the region, the ISIS escalation also means to display its strength for its supporters.

Joint Arab Military Force: A Force for Stability?

The heads of Arab League countries agreed at a summit in Egypt last month to set up a joint military force. Tarek Radwan, an Associate Director for the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center and editor of the MENASource blog, interviewed Atlantic Council analysts who weighed in on these plans.

For the First Time, France Puts Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle Under US Command

By Missy Ryan, Washington Post

When Gen. Martin Dempsey’s plane touched down Sunday on the deck of this ship, he became the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent history — perhaps ever — to set foot on a French aircraft carrier, a sign of the two nations’ increasing operational unity in the campaign against the Islamic […]