Qassem Suleimani Wanted U.S. Troops Out of Iraq. If They Go, ISIS Will Be Back.
The slain Iranian general helped defeat the Islamic State in Iraq, but his death is likely to unleash the sort of sectarian strife that Sunni extremists thrive on.
Alia Brahimi
The Year the Islamic State Lost Its Last Strongholds
Many of its militants are now in prison, but that doesn't mean the battle is over. In 2020, conflict could rise anew.
The Year Ahead |
Vera Mironova
The Fight for ISIS's Old Territory Is Just Beginning
A host of forces including Turkish and Iranian proxies to Russian troops and Syrian government forces are jockeying for control of the lands that once were held by the Islamic State.
Dispatch |
Seth J. Frantzman
The Islamic State Will Outlive Baghdadi. Afghanistan Shows How.
The Islamic State-Khorasan offers a powerful case study of the militant group's ability to create autonomous affiliates that flourish and endure.
Michael Kugelman
Baghdadi Is Dead But His Legend Lives On
The leader of the Islamic State was finally killed—but not before he became the most important terrorist in recent history.
Aaron Y. Zelin
Baghdadi's Martyrdom Bump
Killing the Islamic State leader will not kill his ideas.
Santiago Segarra, Ali Jadbabaie, Richard Nielsen
The Conditions That Created ISIS Still Exist
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death won't eliminate the threat of Islamist extremism so long as autocratic regimes continue to hold sway in the Middle East.
H. A. Hellyer
U.S. Pushes Skeptical Allies to Step Up ISIS Fight in Syria
European partners are unlikely to contribute to a domestically unpopular mission with an unreliable ally, experts and insiders say.
Lara Seligman, Robbie Gramer
Baghdadi's Death Will Make Global Affiliates More Independent
The Islamic State's next leader will have a hard time bringing disparate groups with competing agendas together.
Colin P. Clarke, Amarnath Amarasingam
In Syria, the Women and Children of ISIS Have Been Forgotten
Leaving thousands of detained Islamic State supporters and their families in poorly guarded camps poses a national security threat for Europe and the United States.
Devorah Margolin, Joana Cook, Charlie Winter
Turkey's War in Syria Was Not Inevitable
U.S. strategy in Syria has long been plagued by short-term thinking, while Russia, Turkey, and Iran played a long game. Trump's betrayal of the Kurds is just the latest chapter in Washington's bungled approach to the region.
EXCERPT |
Iraq Confronts Its Own Prisoner's Dilemma
New survey data shows that Iraqis are deeply divided on how to punish members of the terrorist group.
Vera Mironova, Sam Whitt, Dara Tahseen Assi
In Iraq, Protesters Are Sick of Corruption and Foreign Influence
The firing of a wildly popular general who led the fight against ISIS has set off demonstrations that could threaten the country's stability.
Ahmed Twaij
Coming Sept. 23: And Now the Hard Part
Foreign Policy and the Brookings Institution are teaming up for a new podcast focused on practical solutions to the biggest challenges facing the world today.
They Left to Join ISIS. Now Europe Is Leaving Their Citizens to Die in Iraq.
A Belgian fighter captured in Syria was transported to Iraq to face trial. He's now on death row.
Pilar Cebrián
ISIS Is a Survivor
Donald Trump claims to have defeated the Islamic State—but the group was designed to prove him wrong.
Voice |
Tensions Spike as Turkey Threatens Syria Offensive
U.S. defense secretary says a Turkish incursion would be "unacceptable."
A Survivor's Struggle to Care for Her People and Herself
On the podcast: The filmmaker Alexandria Bombach followed the Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad for the film "On Her Shoulders."
Load 10 More Articles