Geopolitics

The Syrian army confirmed on Friday that Zahran Alloush, the leader of Jaysh al-Islam terrorist group operating in the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, has been killed in an airstrike by the Syrian air force.  Earlier reports indicated that Alloush along with seven other terrorist field commanders and 10 …

The Syrian army has reportedly managed to regain control of several strategic regions from militants in the country’s northwestern province of Latakia.  Several strategic regions in Syria’s northwestern province of Latakia have been liberated by the country’s army in the course of its massive advances this week, according to the Iranian news agency FARS.On …

Christopher L. Brennan From Libya and Egypt to Syria and Yemen, the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region is undergoing unprecedented tumult and chaos. To understand the current breakdown of states and society, examining the so-called Arab Spring of 2011 that laid the groundwork for this ongoing regional anarchy is indispensable. …

William McCants Editors’ Note: If the Islamic State has now added foreign operations to its government spending, as the recent attacks suggest, the prospects are frightening. It’s al-Qaida with even less of a conscience, more manpower, and way more money, writes Will McCants. How did this happen? This …

The formation of a national unity government may pave the way toward asking Russia to conduct airstrikes on Daesh positions.  The request to Russia on the launch of airstrikes against Islamic State (IS or Daesh in Arabic) can be submitted only after the formation of a national unity government, which will be in exclusive position to make …

Andrew Bowen On Friday, John Kerry convened a high-level session of UN Security Council member states’ foreign ministers to build on the diplomatic momentum that came from the October and November Syria talks in Vienna. Late afternoon Friday, Kerry, Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, France’s Laurent Fabius and the UK’s …

As President Barack Obama struggles to reassure Americans that his administration has a handle on terrorism, specialists in the burgeoning field of countering violent extremism (CVE) say the US government should devote more resources to domestic programs that can prevent susceptible youth from succumbing to the approaches of terrorist …

Some key members of the 34-nation anti-IS coalition announced by Saudi Arabia have a fundamental question: just what is it? Indonesia apparently did not know it was going to be a military alliance, which it does not want to join. A senior Pakistani lawmaker, meanwhile, only learned the …

Joseph Waters Propaganda is a deadly poison, as Andre Vltchek bemoans: “How do we achieve victory? How do we convince the masses, those billions of people? How do we open their eyes and make them see that the Western regime is dishonest, toxic, poisonous and destructive? Most of …