Reading - and watching - the news out of Syria, it is difficult for observers to find grounds for optimism. The “peace talks” hosted by the United Nations collapsed in Geneva before they ever reached takeoff speed. The “cessation of hostilities”...
The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) applauded the U.S. Department of the Treasury for sanctioning Syrian businessman George Haswani for his role in arranging Syrian regime oil purchases from the terrorist group ISIS. CEP called for the Treasury...
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," goes an ancient proverb. New common enemies in today’s Middle East might not turn old foes into friends, but they may at least create a détente, allowing adversaries to join together against larger threats. One...
At the dawn of the US-led campaign against ISIS in September 2014, President Obama announced the formation of a “broad coalition” whose mission was to “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIS. Since then, the international coalition has carried out more...
In the early days of the Syrian rebellion, it was widely assumed that the Assad dictatorship would collapse in short order. The “Arab Spring” had already cast off tyrannies in Tunisia and Egypt. The Ghaddafi regime in Libya would soon join that list...
The outbreak of armed conflict in Syria has driven the country into chaos, with a spectrum of opposition groups claiming to be fighting for the people and against the Assad regime. As the Syrian Civil War enters its fifth year, Islamic extremist...
“Nothing is safe from the cultural cleansing under way in the country: it targets human lives, minorities, and is marked by the systematic destruction of humanity’s ancient heritage.” – Irina Bukova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific...
Turkey’s relationship with violent extremist group ISIS might generously be described as “permissive” - less generously, “complicit.” Not only has Turkey adopted a relaxed stance toward ISIS, some claim it has actively aided and abetted the terror...
The belief that the Iraq war was a monumental blunder is now widely held. In the public mind, the decision to dethrone Saddam Hussein has also become a ready explanation for nearly every ill to befall the world since. The latest baleful effect...
The February beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by ISIS-alligned extremists in Libya grabbed international headlines, as did the reality that ISIS’s influence had spread far beyond Syria and Iraq. Since the beginning of 2015, forces loyal to...
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On April 3, 2017, the day Vladimir Putin was due to visit the city, a suicide bombing was carried out in the St. Petersburg metro, killing 15 people and injuring 64. An al-Qaeda affiliate, Imam Shamil Battalion, claimed responsibility.
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