Photo Credit: Al-Arabiya By: Rachel Bessette, Columnist Amid concerns over the health of Ayatollah Sistani, Iraq’s leading Shia cleric, many observers are warning of Iranian maneuvering to replace the ever-moderate Sistani with someone subservient to the religious establishment in Tehran. Throughout Iraq’s lurching, often-violent political transition, Ayatollah Sistani has consistently stood out as a powerful … Continue reading Iraq’s Ailing Ayatollah and the Future of Shia Moderation in Iraq
Category: Regions
The Truth on Turkey
Photo Credit: Al-Jazeera By: Kathryn Hillegass, Columnist The world watched in suspense on July 15 as members of the Turkish army launched a coup against President Tayyip Erdogan’s administration while he was away on vacation. We witnessed clashes between the military and the police which killed over 250 people, we saw an F-16 shoot down … Continue reading The Truth on Turkey
Enough is Enough: Shifting South Korean Attitudes Towards Pyongyang
Photo Credit: Xinhua.net By: Patrick Savage, Columnist On October 1st, South Korea’s Armed Forces Day, President Park Geun-Hye launched a direct, public appeal to North Korean citizens to defect. This rare direct and open encouragement to would-be North Korean defectors was accompanied by a warning to the North regarding its nuclear tests: South Korea declared … Continue reading Enough is Enough: Shifting South Korean Attitudes Towards Pyongyang
A Serious Solution for Syria
Photo Credit: CBC News By: Farnaz Alimehri, Columnist The international community has known for quite some time that both the Syrian government and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have used chemical weapons in Syria. The worst, and most obvious case that comes to mind is the sarin attack in Ghouta on … Continue reading A Serious Solution for Syria
The Looming Threat of the Islamic State in Pakistan
Photo Credit: Long War Journal By: Nicole Magney, Columnist In the battle against the Islamic State (IS), the United States and its allies have rightly focused on areas where the group controls territory, like Iraq and Syria, as well as IS ‘provinces’ of particular concern, like Libya. However, the group’s presence further east in Pakistan … Continue reading The Looming Threat of the Islamic State in Pakistan
Eroding Deterrence: Taiwan’s Civil-Military Divide
Photo Credit: Consortium of Defense Analysts By: Michael Daly, Columnist When I was in Taipei this past summer, I asked one of my Taiwanese acquaintances about the perception of the military in Taiwan’s society. His answer enlightened me: “It’s not a good career path,” he explained. “The military is for unskilled people who don’t have … Continue reading Eroding Deterrence: Taiwan’s Civil-Military Divide
U.N. Peacekeeping Mission Failure in Mali: An Operational and Strategic Failure
Photo Credit: UN.org By: Emily Gilbert, Columnist After several years of bloody conflict, including a French military intervention, the Malian government and Tuareg-led rebels signed a peace agreement in June 2015.[i] However, since the peace agreement, the security situation in Mali has remained volatile. As of August 2016, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) … Continue reading U.N. Peacekeeping Mission Failure in Mali: An Operational and Strategic Failure
The Birth of Terrorist Deradicalization Programming in the U.S.?
Photo Credit:Fox News By: Sarah Gilkes, Columnist In December 2013, Sinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. After Nguyen entered his plea in a California court, United States District Court Judge John F. Walter remarked, “I simply do not understand how we … Continue reading The Birth of Terrorist Deradicalization Programming in the U.S.?
China and Russia’s Angry Response to THAAD: Why and What It Means for the United States
Photo Credit: Alwaght.com By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist On July 7th, 2016, the United States and South Korea announced their decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system on the peninsula in response to North Korea’s continued nuclear tests and development of ballistic missile technology. The next day, China and Russia … Continue reading China and Russia’s Angry Response to THAAD: Why and What It Means for the United States
Death of Uzbek President Signals Strategic Opportunity for Russia
Photo Credit: Daily Sabah By: Emily Kangas, Columnist On September 2, 2016, just one day after the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence, President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov passed away from a stroke.[i] Confronted with its first leadership change since 1989, when Karimov became president of what was then the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, Uzbekistan now faces … Continue reading Death of Uzbek President Signals Strategic Opportunity for Russia