Arab Spring To Paris Fall: A Strategic Shift in the Works

Arab Spring To Paris Fall: A Strategic Shift in the Works
Arab Spring To Paris Fall: A Strategic Shift in the Works

President Francois Hollande of France arrives Tuesday in Washington for talks with President Obama. Top of the list will be how much America is willing to commit to destroying Daesh, the terrorist group we used to call ISIL. Robbin Laird, Ed Timperlake and Harald Malmgren explore in detail what America’s options are, what France wants and…

4,817 Targets: How Six Months Of Airstrikes Have Hurt ISIL (Or Not)

4,817 Targets: How Six Months Of Airstrikes Have Hurt ISIL (Or Not)
4,817 Targets: How Six Months Of Airstrikes Have Hurt ISIL (Or Not)

[UPDATED with McCain comment] The war is escalating. But what have six months of airstrikes against the self-proclaimed Islamic State actually achieved so far? Last week, Jordan launched its retaliation against the Islamic State for burning a Jordanian pilot alive. Yesterday, we learned ISIL had murdered hostage Kayla Mueller. This morning, President Obama formally proposed a…

Carter’s Confirmation Hug: SASC Shows He May Be A Strong SecDef

Carter’s Confirmation Hug: SASC Shows He May Be A Strong SecDef
Carter’s Confirmation Hug: SASC Shows He May Be A Strong SecDef

WASHINGTON: Nomination hearings are never just about the nominee. But today’s Senate lovefest for Ash Carter was remarkably dominated by two men who weren’t in the room: President Obama — in whose defense Carter was actually pretty tepid — and King Abdullah II of Jordan. The Obama White House has simultaneously “micromanag[ed]” the military and…

A Calibrated Response To ISIL

A Calibrated Response To ISIL
A Calibrated Response To ISIL

The ISIL-induced crisis in the Middle East is a major one with regional implications. With several years of dynamic change in the region, and the failure to create a stable Iraq during the period after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, ISIL has functioned like a match thrown into a gas can. What  should we do? We…

President Obama’s Historic Middle East Opportunity

President Obama’s Historic Middle East Opportunity
President Obama’s Historic Middle East Opportunity

President Obama was recently depicted on the cover of The Economist as the new George W. Bush, forced to head back to Iraq. One can correctly argue that the President and his national security team have spent more time distancing themselves from Bush’s administration than looking hard into the future and shaping the strategic space within which…

Syrian Air Strikes ‘A Watershed Moment’ In Terrorism Struggle: Sen. Levin

WASHINGTON: The allied air strikes against ISIL that brought together the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Jordan “are a watershed moment” in the fight to solve terrorism, “the major security issue of our time,” one of the most rational defense lawmakers in Congress said today. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the strikes offered…