Don’t Discount the Threat Posed by Female Foreign Fighters

ISIS' all-female al-Khansaa brigade, a morality police, ensures women in the caliphate adhere to Islamic norms. Photo Credit: The Strait Times. By: Alicia Chavy, Columnist In December, the U.S. announced that it would withdraw its troops from Syria, to which Syrian rebel groups responded by threatening to release thousands of captured Western European and American … Continue reading Don’t Discount the Threat Posed by Female Foreign Fighters

Why Counterterrorism Efforts Against Salafi-Jihadists Should Emphasize Information Warfare

The Islamic State extensively employs social media to spread its message. Photo Credit: The Week By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist The United States and its Western allies have been fighting the Salafi-jihadist movement for more than a quarter of a century. This war has largely been fought on physical battlefields – from the mountains of Afghanistan … Continue reading Why Counterterrorism Efforts Against Salafi-Jihadists Should Emphasize Information Warfare

Spinning the Syrian Conflict: The Battle to Brand the White Helmets and the Future of Information Warfare

The White Helmets walk through debris in a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo. Photo Credit: AFP. By: Krystel Von Kumberg, Columnist Information is a contested resource in today’s world. Perception has become the center of gravity, as humanity’s increasing interconnectedness means that controlling communications is critical to the pursuit of strategic objectives. The cyber domain presents the … Continue reading Spinning the Syrian Conflict: The Battle to Brand the White Helmets and the Future of Information Warfare

Degraded Not Defeated: A Proposition for Forming a New US Security Strategy for Syria

The fall of the ISIS caliphate on March 23, 2019 marks a shift in Syria and the U.S. counterterrorism strategy for the future. Photo Credit: Reuters By: Adrienne Thompson, Columnist On March 23, 2019, US backed Kurdish forces defeated ISIS’s last occupied Syrian village. Subsequently, President Trump announced the liberation of 100% of ISIS territory … Continue reading Degraded Not Defeated: A Proposition for Forming a New US Security Strategy for Syria

The Risks of Repatriating—Or Not—ISIS Foreign Fighters from the West

Islamic state fighters and their families walk as they surrendered in the village of Baghouz, Deir Al Zor province, Syria March 12, 2019. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Rodi Said. By: Emily Burchfield, Columnist With ISIS declared territorially defeated in Syria,[i] the U.S. and Europe must focus on what to do with captured foreign fighters. President Trump urged … Continue reading The Risks of Repatriating—Or Not—ISIS Foreign Fighters from the West

Regime Change and Counterterror in the Trump Era

U.S. and SDF forces at al-Tanf base in southeastern Syria. Al-Tanf is one of the places where American troops are expected to remain despite the U.S. drawdown, though the scope and timeline for the withdrawal is still unclear. Photo Credit: Military Times By: Jodi Brignola, Columnist The Trump Administration’s stance on regime change is similar … Continue reading Regime Change and Counterterror in the Trump Era

Assessing Challenges to AMISOM’s Exit

Senior military officers of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other international partners attend the closing session of the AMISOM Sector Commanders Conference in Mogadishu, Somalia, Feb. 15, 2019. Photo Credit: O. Abdisalan/AMISOM. By: Iakovos Balassi, Columnist While the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has made progress towards weakening al-Shabaab, the force … Continue reading Assessing Challenges to AMISOM’s Exit

Deconstructing Deradicalization: Why the UK Needs a New Approach to Assess CT and PCVE Programs

As ISIS loses territory, and foreign fighters seek to return home, effective deradicalization programs are more important than ever. Photo Credit: Reuters/Kieran Doherty. By: Antonia Ward, Columnist As ISIS faces the loss of the final territory it holds in Syria, there has been considerable focus on the issue of foreign fighters returning to the UK.[i] This … Continue reading Deconstructing Deradicalization: Why the UK Needs a New Approach to Assess CT and PCVE Programs

Between a Rock and a Hardline Place: The Conundrum of Providing Humanitarian Aid to HTS-Controlled Idlib

UN aid convoy heads to Idlib province in October, 2018. Photo Credit: Andolu Agency By: Jodi Brignola, Columnist Humanitarian action is grounded in the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.[i] In theory, these principles seek to protect all civilians outside of a political framework. In practice, however, divorcing humanitarian aid from the geopolitical and … Continue reading Between a Rock and a Hardline Place: The Conundrum of Providing Humanitarian Aid to HTS-Controlled Idlib

The Nonpolar Order; Lessons from Syria

A man stands atop a building looking at the destroyed Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, 2015. Photo Credit: Bulent Kilic/APF/Getty Images. By: Krystel Von Kumberg, Columnist Richard Haass’ theorem of nonpolarity can critically explain the complex dynamics that have brought-about the dozens of actors exercising different levels of power in Syria, … Continue reading The Nonpolar Order; Lessons from Syria