Iraq

By RFE/RL White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that the United States is “at war with ISIL” on September 12, after Secretary of State John Kerry refused to use the phrase. “The United States is at war with ISIL in the same way that we are at war with Al-Qaeda and its Al-Qaeda affiliates all […]

Egypt

Middle East “Allies” decline to Commit Forces, Resources against ISIL

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole US Secretary of State John Kerry’s meeting in Jedda with ten Middle Eastern foreign ministers produced a communique on Friday, but little more. The regional states promised to do more to stop the transit across their territory of volunteer vigilantes seeking to join the so-called “Islamic State” of Iraq and the Levant […]

Counter-Terrorism

Obama’s ISIL Actions are Defensive, Despite Rhetoric of going on Offense

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole President Obama’s speech launching his war on ISIL avoided the qualifications that he had earlier made, which had produced caviling inside the Beltway from politicians who confuse careless belligerency with decisiveness. From a language of containing ISIL, he was forced to speak of degrading and destroying it. He went back and forth […]

Iraq

ISIL isn’t Medieval: Revolution, Terror and Statemaking are Modern

contributors

By Kevin McDonald, Middlesex University Over recent weeks there has been a constant background noise that Islamic State and its ideology are some sort of throwback to a distant past. It is often framed in language used last week by the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, who claimed that ISIS is “medieval”. In fact, the […]

Free Syrian Army

ISIL Fighting With Weapons From US and 'Moderate' Syrian Rebels: Report

contributors

By Sarah Lazare via Commondreams.org The Islamic State (IS) is now in possession of lethal weapons formerly owned by so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels, as well as large quantities of arms produced in the United States, a new report (PDF) reveals The study — conducted by Conflict Armament Research, a research organization that tracks weapons proliferation […]

Barack Obama

3 Years War? Obama to Bomb Syria in fight against ISIL

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole Juliet Eilperin and David Nakamura at WaPo report on a Monday evening dinner at the White House attended by foreign policy experts, in which President Obama expressed confidence that he had the authority to bomb ISIL positions in Syria. In other reports, Obama officials have leaked that they think this is a […]

Featured

“Obama to outline campaign against ISIS” (Juan Cole at Chris Hayes, “All In”)

Juan Cole

Juan Cole at MSNBC Juan Cole hosted by Chris Hayes, “All In”: “Obama to outline campaign against ISIS” ————- screenshot

Iraq

Are ISIL fighters Afraid of Women with Guns?

contributors

BBC “In Kurdish areas of northern Syria, fighters have been battling Islamic State – or ISIS – for two years – and unlike Iraq’s kurdish forces, they get no help from the west. Gabriel Gatehouse has been northern Syria to meet some of those taking on the jihadists.” ‘ISIS are afraid to see women with […]

Democracy

New Iraqi Government: Less than Meets the Eye?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The Iraqi parliament finally voted in the government of new Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi on Monday, in what US Secretary of State John Kerry called a “turning point.” There are reasons, however, to be cautious about pinning too many hopes on the new government. Although al-Abadi is a more congenial and less […]