عراق

Washington has an abundance of information about the group's ideology, targets, and media campaigns, but the challenge lies in figuring out what to do with all the data, both strategically and militarily.

The group's much-vaunted media machine seems to have slowed down over the past half year, suggesting that military efforts against its forces are taking a toll.

Whether the Paris terrorists were funded by their own activities in Europe or ISIS revenues from Syria and Iraq, the fact remains that small sums of money can facilitate painfully successful attacks, so cutting off the group's finances is no panacea.

A traditional military operation is eluding serious attention for many reasons, but none hold up against the devastation experienced in Syria and Iraq.

Read or an in-depth conversation on the fifteen-year history of ISIS and its predecessor groups, and the potential future of the so-called 'Islamic State,' with three leading scholars of jihadist terrorism.

Contingency planning for unexpected success in Iraq is important because our impression of events there is often out of date by a few months, so now is the time to increase U.S. military leverage.

Putin's latest Middle Eastern moves are aimed not so much at expanding his front line of tensions with the West, but rather at making a deal by proving that he has acquired a lot of cards in the region.

Whether Iraqi Kurdistan becomes a de facto or de jure nation, it will face the same challenge that all oil-dependent states face: the need to diversify its economy, create good jobs, and live within its means as a hedge against fluctuating oil prices.

Although Iran's influence in Iraq remains limited by various political, religious, and economic factors, the rise of ISIS has created new opportunities for Tehran to present itself as the country’s savior.