Policy Analysis

The SDF’s current role in Deir ez-Zor and the local grievances surrounding it requires an understanding of the origin of its entry into the region, along with the underlying tension between U.S., Iranian, and Syrian regime interests there.

On Sunday August 27, Deir Ezzor Military Council (DEMC) Head Abu Khawla—along with a number of senior commanders from the DEMC—were invited to meet with the commander-in-chief in the SDF Mazloum Abdi in neighboring Al-Hasakah province.

The ninth anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide in Sinjar, Iraq is drawing near, a tragedy in which thousands of Yazidis were murdered, Yazidi women and children were enslaved, and Yazidi villages and compounds were destroyed by ISIS in August 2014.

In order to restore the stability and authority of the Iraqi state, the Sudani government must endeavor to end the years-long connection between protests and reciprocal violence.

Despite years of overhauling HTS’s global reputation, al-Jawlani’s strategy in northwest Syria has long been driven by opportunism instead of ideology.

Justice for the victims of the al-Shaitat massacre is only just starting to emerge, and the international community must do its part.

Following the drone strike against al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, many variables are up in the air that could significantly alter the stability of a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as well as the future of the al-Qaeda framework.

Some reject the idea of a potential ‘ISIS-ification’ of southern Iraq, but radicalization can occur anywhere when the social tensions are sufficiently severe. Southern Iraq certainly faces this dilemma.

On March 27, two Israeli Arab men recorded themselves pledging allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group before committing a terrorist attack in the Israeli city of Hadera, killing two and injuring several others.

Despite the January 26 announcement by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that they had taken full control of al-Sinaa prison in Hasaka, the security situation in this northeastern city is still not completely stable.

Following the killing of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim Al-Quraishi, the organization will try to regroup and move forward, but replacing its leader will pose unique challenges.

Internal and external factors are weakening the Taliban, making the group's long term stability increasingly unlikely.

The Islamic State’s attack on the Hasakah prison, and ongoing fighting surrounding the facility, is creating a humanitarian disaster for the region’s residents.

The explosion that rocked Basra on Tuesday may prove a harbinger of greater instability throughout the country in the post-elections period.

Relying on geostrategic advantages and the absence of substantial opposition, ISIS seeks to reconfigure itself in the Syrian and Iraqi deserts in order to expand its control.

Women and children in the al-Hol Camp are conducting ISIS operations and perpetuating ISIS's ideology.

The Islamic State's strategic understandings of geographic territory, time, and victory are critical elements in its potential for a resurgence.

To combat the effects of the regime’s destabilizing activities in eastern Syria, the United States can focus on supporting local Arab tribes.

As international support lags and the situation in al-Hawl and the surrounding areas deteriorates, repatriation and humanitarian assistance are increasingly vital.

The pandemic has not ended terrorism in Jordan, and ISIS is still a significant threat.