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Lieutenant General James M. Dubik (U.S. Army, Ret.), Senior Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War, delivered the keynote address at the 18th International Seminar on Military Sciences hosted by the National Defense Academy of Japan on July 5 in Yokosuka, Japan.
Syria Analyst Elizabeth O'Bagy on the decision to arm Syrian rebels.
ISW President Kimberly Kagan discusses continued violence in Iraq
Across the Mediterranean and Pacific worlds, Iran is striving to strengthen and extend its influence. From Libya to Sri Lanka and beyond, the regime is building networks of trade, power, and control. Collisions with other world powers have generated political friction and strategic setbacks. However, the nation remains committed to expanding its regional significance. Iran's ambitions are serious.
USA TODAY talks with ISW Analyst Christopher Harmer about US options for arming Syrian rebels.
On the heels of its success in al-Qusayr, the Syrian government launched a new offensive against rebel-held areas in Aleppo province, marked by the deployment of thousands of Lebanese Hezbollah militants on June 2.
With the help of thousands of fighters from Hezbollah, Iran, and Iraq, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has achieved one of his most important military victories in the past two years by forcing the withdrawal of opposition forces from the town of al-Qusayr. Al-Qusayr now also cuts off access to cross-border weapons supplies to the rebels from Lebanon and provides an important staging ground for future efforts by the regime to retake the north and east.
Al Qaeda in Iraq launched a concentrated wave of car-bomb and other attacks specifically against civilian Shi'a targets in and around Baghdad. Shi'a militias are mobilizing and have begun a round of sectarian killings.
BBC News talks with ISW analyst Elizabeth O'Bagy about American policy options in Syria.
The political participation of the Sunni Arab minority in Iraq is critical to the security and stability of the state. At present, they are functionally excluded from government. Without effective political representation, the Sunni in Iraq are left with few alternatives to address their grievances against the Maliki government.