Washington should adopt a quiet but well-planned approach to Baghdad’s demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration of militias, learning when to be flexible and when to stand firm. Despite facing continued Islamic State attacks in seven of eighteen provinces, the Iraqi government has begun to allocate precious state security forces to the task of reining in rogue… Keep reading →
Two experts discuss how Washington can use its warming relations with Cairo and Riyadh to foster soft-power reform campaigns. On January 18, Joseph Braude and Samuel Tadros addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Braude is an advisor to Al-Mesbar Studies and Research Center and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Tadros… Keep reading →
Russian President Vladmir Putin has directed his government to develop a state-backed cryptocurrency, according to a Financial Times report published on January 2nd.
Four veteran practitioners discuss opportunities and risks associated with the Trump administration’s shift in terminology, and policy, on countering extremism. On November 14, William Braniff, Seamus Hughes, Shanna Batten, and Matthew Levitt addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute as part of the long-running Stein Counterterrorism Lecture Series. Braniff is executive director of the… Keep reading →
Tehran is using the Houthis to test President Trump’s resolve, as mounting evidence shows that it is helping the rebels build long-range missiles capable of hitting Gulf capitals. On November 4, a Burkan-2H (Volcano) ballistic missile was launched toward Riyadh by Houthi forces in Yemen and intercepted by a U.S.-supplied Patriot defense system. Wreckage from… Keep reading →
Recently, many revisions to U.S. sanction programs have been the topic of much public discussion.
If the Kurdish region is rolled back by federal forces or implodes into civil conflict, the consequences would threaten Iraq’s constitutional structure and undercut U.S. efforts to contain Iran. The ongoing crisis between Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government has resulted in the KRG losing much of the land, oil, and power it… Keep reading →
Although the cessation of governance-related media releases suggests a full retreat, IS remains active in military campaigns and eager to rise again by taking advantage of local grievances. According to a field commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the last Islamic State (IS) holdouts will lose control of Raqqa, the group’s self-proclaimed capital,… Keep reading →
Myanmar’s growing humanitarian crisis is fueling calls for jihad by global extremist groups and threatening to draw Middle East and Asian fighters into a new front. The Myanmar military’s crackdown on the Rohingya, a mostly Muslim minority group, has emerged as a major policy dilemma for the Trump administration as it seeks to calm the… Keep reading →
The Iraqi Kurds have angered their neighbors, but imminent punitive measures could quickly strengthen Iran and disrupt the campaign against the Islamic State. The September 25 statehood referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq passed overwhelmingly, with 92.7 percent of voters choosing “yes.” Although the outcome does not trigger any administrative changes and is explicitly… Keep reading →
