Iraq

Liberate Mosul Peshmerga Iraq ISIS
The Right Way to Liberate Mosul

We know that Mosul must fall for IS to collapse; we also know that the battle for Mosul will be a bloody one. Yet the greatest danger will come after Mosul falls.

Sunni Tribes
Countering Islamic Violent Extremism in the Fertile Crescent: The Sunni Tribes are the Center of Gravity

This article about how U.S. foreign policy could build relations with Sunni tribes first appeared in Issue 2 (Winter 2016)…

Longing for Peace amidst a Long War
Longing for Peace amidst a Long War

In the shadow cast by 9/11, it was difficult to believe something could be worse than al-Qaeda 1.0. But with American nightclubs and office buildings awash in blood, with Europe under siege, with Christians and Yazidis targeted for extermination, with the Pandora’s Box of chemical warfare reopened, with the female populations of entire cities enslaved, here we are.

OBAMA’S RELUCTANT, SPECIOUS RETURN TO DETERRENCE
Obama’s Reluctant, Specious Return to Deterrence

The Obama administration is making some adjustments to its foreign policy approach, but not enough to deal with the challenges we face.

Power & Anxiety: Religion & Conflict in the Middle East

From the Winter print edition

Kurdistan Peshmerga
Ministers Say Kurdistan Struggling to Pay Peshmerga

The KRG’s Karim Sinjari insists few Peshmerga fighters have deserted but warns there may be more desertions if Kurdistan cannot pay them.

Assyria
A Human Picture of Assyria

Juliana Taimoorazy gave an impromptu speech that painted a human picture of Assyria for those in the audience.

Soft Power
Soft Power and Preparing for an Iraq after ISIS

On April 2 at Providence’s “Islam, the Middle East, and Christian Engagement with the Middle East” event in Middleburg, Virginia, Chris Seiple spoke about how Americans and Christians could use soft power to engage with various communities.

Obama Doctrine Revised
Damned if you Do, Damned if you Don’t: Obama Doctrine Revised

Obama and Bush demonstrate the dangers of overly aggressive and overly passive foreign policies, but they share something in common: a deeply moral vision of America’s role in the world.