8 years ago
Cornering Russia, Risking World War III
Official Washington is awash with tough talk about Russia and the need to punish President Putin for his role in Ukraine and Syria. But this bravado ignores Russia’s genuine national interests, its “red lines,” and the risk that “tough-guy-ism” can lead to nuclear war, as Alastair Crooke explains.
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Naming Our Middle East Enemy
Recent terrorist attacks demand sober analysis and a response rooted in realpolitik. By Donald Devine. -
Pentagon Seeks to Knit Foreign Bases Into ISIS-Foiling Network
As American intelligence agencies grapple with the expansion of the Islamic State beyond its headquarters in Syria, the Pentagon has proposed a new plan to the White House to build up a string of military bases in Africa, Southwest Asia and the Middle East... By Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt. -
Getting Real: An ISIL Strategy
Any serious attempt to formulate a strategy for addressing the multifaceted crisis we confront in the Middle East should begin with acknowledging some unpleasant facts of life. The first is that neither willpower nor faith alone will alter the incontrovertible realities... By Michael Brenner. -
U.S. arms makers strain to meet demand as Mideast conflicts rage
Top U.S. arms makers are straining to meet surging demand for precision missiles and other weapons being used in the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State and other conflicts in the Middle East, according to senior U.S. officials and industry executives. By Andrea Shalal. -
Obama’s Pentagon Trip Highlights How Little Has Changed in ISIS Fight
Since he last stood at the podium in the Pentagon briefing room in July, President Barack Obama has sent special operations forces into combat in Iraq and Syria, ordered hundreds of new airstrikes against the Islamic State, and struggled to figure out whether, or how, to incorporate Vladimir... -
Why Washington ignored torture by Iraqi militias
It was one of the most shocking events in one of the most brutal periods in Iraq's history. In late 2005, two years after the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, U.S. soldiers raided a police building in Baghdad and found 168 prisoners in horrific conditions... By Ned Parker. -
Russian airstrikes force a halt to aid in Syria, triggering a new crisis
Russian airstrikes disrupt aid delivery to Syria. By Liz Sly. -
MH17 evidence may be compromised by Ukrainian secret service: Telegraaf
Legal experts are forecasting substantial problems in an eventual criminal case involving those responsible for downing MH17 with the loss of 289 lives, the Telegraaf said on Tuesday... -
Femme Fatale: The Rise of Female Suicide Bombers.
Last week, a woman in Afghanistan blew herself up after being stopped at a checkpoint in eastern Nangarhar province. She killed an officer and her three children. If suicide bombings themselves are difficult to fathom, then those conducted by women — and in this case by a mother. By Kathleen Turner. -
Afghan security worsens, casualties spike in 2015: Pentagon
Afghanistan's overall security deteriorated in the second half of this year, with Taliban militants staging more attacks and inflicting far more casualties on Afghan forces, the Pentagon said in a grim report to the U.S. Congress released on Tuesday. By Phil Stewart. -
Islamic State Gains Strength in Yemen, Challenging Al Qaeda
Nine months of war between a Saudi-led military coalition and a Yemeni rebel group have left thousands of civilians dead, a nation gravely polarized and the land strewn with debris, mines and unexploded bombs. The conflict has produced another bitter legacy: a new branch of the Islamic State...
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