Arab & Islamic Politics

Since last summer the Obama administration has been missing in action as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, conquered much of Syria and Iraq. But as the terrorist organization now turns its sights on the pro-Western Kingdom of Jordan, Washington can no longer ignore its territorial gains

Senior officials from Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government discuss how the ISIS insurgency is affecting the debate over Kurdish independence.

Rapprochement with Turkey may not lead to outright independence for the Kurds. But in the new Middle East, the borders between the Kurds and Arabs will be more real than those between the Kurds and Turkey.

ISIS poses an existentially different threat than previous Sunni jihadist groups, with a focus on territorial possession and expansion.

Facing threats from all directions, King Abdullah is moving to get his foreign policy team in place -- and quell infighting within the royal family.

A discussion of whether and how the United States or other outside actors might intervene to check the jihadist group's advance.

Will the declaration of a new caliphate unite the world’s jihadists or tear them apart?

With a massive Israeli crackdown under way, the militant Palestinian movement is struggling to determine its true identity.

Soner Cagaptay is the author of the new book The Rise of Turkey: The Twenty-First Century's First Muslim Power . His other work includes the book Islam, Secularism, and Nationalism in Modern Turkey: Who is a Turk? He is the Beyer Family Fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program