Analysis

ISIS and other groups have appropriated an inherently nonpolitical ideology to suit their political ambitions. In the wake of the bombing of the Russian plane in Sinai and the attacks in Paris, the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIS) seems bent on confrontation with the West. The …

On November 23, Gilles Kepel, Fabrice Balanche, and Olivier Decottignies addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Kepel is a professor at the Institute of Political Studies, Paris (Sciences Po), and coauthor of the forthcoming book “Terror in France: The Origin of the French Jihad,” to be …

Bryan Bender It is Syrian Quagmire 2.0. And in the view of American officials, it is anything but an upgrade. Four years into Syria’s civil war and more than a year into a U.S.-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State terrorist group, the U.S. military now faces a …

By Bin White The general election is still almost a year away. But much about the economic picture that will frame the 2016 presidential race will come into focus in the next two weeks as the Federal Reserve prepares to raise interest rates for the first time in …

A difficult question is arising for German Chancellor Angela Merkel before her meeting with Turkish leader Recer Tayyip Erdogan – should Europe deal with a country which buys oil from terrorists? Politicians with principles should have cancelled the meeting, German media reported.  EU leaders are expected to meet with the …

The OPEC oil cartel may face pressure to lower production quotas, as its efforts to defend the market against shale producers is finally paying off. OPEC looks unlikely to reduce production quotas as its strategy of lowering oil prices to maintain market share begins paying off. Saudi Arabia is facing pressure from other …

BY GIORGIO CAFIERO AND DANIEL WAGNER In early November, Pakistan’s chief of army staff, General Raheel Sharif, made an important visit to Saudi Arabia. The general met with King Salman and other top officials in Riyadh, where he stressed Islamabad’s commitment to ensuring the safety and protection of …

BY JAMES M. DORSEY Words but no actions. That is Amnesty International’s evaluation of promised Qatari labor reforms on the fifth year of the awarding of the 2022 World Cup hosting rights to the Gulf state. Qatar’s failure to enact wide-ranging reforms heightens the risk of its hosting …

Russians are more convinced than at any time in recent history that their country is a great power, as enthusiasm over military campaigns in Ukraine and Syria seems to outweigh worries about a deep economic slump. Sixty-five percent of Russians surveyed by the independent Levada Center pollster said …