Yemen’s Houthis have defied the forecasts of numerous analysts who predicted that their grip on northwest Yemen would erode. Rather than being weakened, Houthi and allied forces are stronger and better organized than at any point over the last two years. The Houthis’ recent offensives... MORE

Introduction Over the years, unremitting hostility between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran has created opportunities as well as dilemmas for the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Trump administration’s unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May... MORE

Iraq’s Political Crisis Further Hinders Anti-IS Security Collaboration Brian M. Perkins Iraq's political crisis continues to worsen as Abdul Mahdi's intended successor, Mohammed Allawi, withdrew his candidacy (Al Jazeera, March 2). Allawi cited opposition from the public and other political leaders as the reason for... MORE

Sudan’s April 2019 popular revolution—aided by the military—ended three decades of rule by dictator Omar al-Bashir. The removal of Bashir was celebrated, and the country was hopeful for a new era. Despite Bashir’s ouster, the next steps would prove difficult as the new transitional government... MORE

Frequent speculation has recently been posited that Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda affiliates could eventually coalesce again, or at the least, begin cooperating at a more notable level than was seen at the height of the conflict in Syria. The death of IS Caliph Abu... MORE

President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, met for an emergency summit in Moscow on March 5, in a last-ditch attempt to defuse the confrontation in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. Syrian opposition fighters and Turkish forces in Idlib are fighting... MORE

The southwestern Russian Republic of Kalmykia has long hoped to become a major player on the Caspian, which it argues could be achievable with the construction of a new port on that inland sea along with a new canal from there to the Sea of... MORE

Wilayat Sinai’s Operations in the Sinai Peninsula  Militant Islamist violence in the Sinai Peninsula has increased significantly since 2013, with the Egyptian affiliate of Islamic State (IS), Wilayat Sinai, carrying out multiple attacks. Notably, the group downed a Russian passenger aircraft in October 2015, killing... MORE

Islamic State (IS) has consistently put presenting a polished image of jihadists at the forefront of their online social media propaganda campaign. However, that actions of IS jihadists out in the field stand in deep contrast to this virtual narrative. IS media pushed the image... MORE

On January 3, the same day the United States conducted the airstrike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani and prominent Iraqi politician and militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the United States also attempted a drone strike on Abdul Reza Shahlai, the... MORE