Iraq’s New Leader Shows His Mettle
On 25 June 2020, fourteen members of the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah (KH) were going about their usual nefarious business. On this occasion they were setting up rocket attacks on…
Islamic State Is Still Alive and Kicking
During its heyday in 2014-2015, Islamic State (IS) conquered great tracts of Iraq and Syria and ruled over some 11 million people. It took four years for the US coalition,…
The New War: The Islamic State As a Case Study
The collapse of the bipolar international order of the Cold War period and the start of the unipolar international order under the United States has transformed the nature of military…
What If Islamic State Becomes Stateless?
The grandiose dreams of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder of Islamic State (IS) who envisioned a jihadist caliphate encompassing the entire globe under his leadership, appear to be crumbling. In…
The Jihadist Civil War
The bloodthirsty jihadist organization that calls itself Islamic State (IS) sprang from the loins of al-Qaeda, once the supreme bane of the western world, which achieved its apogee with the…
Terrorist Attacks in Brussels – a Clash of What?
Here we go again. Recent terrorist attacks against another European capital city in less than a year continue to shake the core of world politics. It is worth to note…
What Future for Syria?
In March 2011 a few teenagers in a southern Syrian city – fired up no doubt by the revolutionary fervour sweeping the Middle East at the time – daubed some…
The Tribulations of Hamas
Hamas’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse. The de facto government of the Gaza strip suddenly finds itself in difficulties on four fronts: deteriorating external relations, including financial…
Yemen Conflict and Arab Uprising: Regional Fissures and Repercussions
The Saudi military intervention in Yemen against Houthi rebels has repercussions in the kingdom amid cracks appearing in the ruling families in Riyadh and United Arab Emirates. SAUDI ARABIA’S four-month…
The Kurds – Key to Success Against “The Islamic State?”
The so-called Islamic State, more commonly called the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has suffered few military setbacks. The one that the Iraqi and American governments like to…