A series of bombings and shootings in Iraq killed at least 24 people today, deepening fears that ongoing government efforts to stymie Sunni terror groups had failed – per the Associated Press – “to have dented the insurgents’ ability to stage attacks at a high place.” At least seven police officers were among today’s...

The Syrian conflict has driven tens of thousands of refugees into neighboring countries, triggering both general regional instability and country-specific crises in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. American and U.N. diplomats have described the displacement of literally “millions of people. Sectarian strife locked in by the conflict had already as of...

Hamas has lost international backers and seen its domestic popularity slide. It is facing the prospect of economic suffocation, as the Egyptians move to shut down the lucrative smuggling tunnels between the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsua down by Egypt. Its rival Palestinian Fatah faction has taken to...

Amid an a series of foreign policy misteps, Prime Minister Recep Erdogan’s Islamist administration scored a win last March by inking a ceasefire agreement with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK agreed to withdraw from Turkey to Iraqi Kurdistan, and in return Ankara promised to grant greater autonomy to...

Israel has issued another round of permits allowing Palestinians to work within the country’s 1949 armistice lines, part of a series of gestures designed to bolster U.S.-backed peace negotiations. The additional 5,000 permits come amid Palestinian moves that, in a certain sense, are the exact opposite of confidence building measures:...

The results of Australia’s election Saturday night, which saw Tony Abbott’s Liberal Party sweep into power, are expected to result in stronger relations between Canberra and Jerusalem: Abbott has said he wants to return bilateral relations to the era of former Liberal leader John Howard, who was an unapologetic supporter of Israel....

Egypt has expanded an ongoing anti-terrorism campaign in the Sinai Peninsula targeting jihadist networks that have in recent months deepened and consolidated efforts to foment instability and violence in the territory and beyond: The Egyptian army is continuing its crackdown on terror in northern Sinai. The Maan news agency reported that military forces moved...

The head of the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog declared today that it was “essential and urgent” for Iran to address international concerns regarding its nuclear program, emphasizing that Tehran must cease stonewalling inspections of its enrichment activities and what is widely suspected to be weaponization work. Yukiya Amano was explicit that the...

National Security Adviser Susan Rice addressed the New America Foundation today and forcefully argued that Congress should approve President Barack Obama’s request for an authorization for the use of military force against Syria: “Any president, Republican or Democrat, must have recourse to all elements of American power to design and...

Hamas has seen its internal and regional position slip to such an extent that U.S. analysts are now calling on policymakers to deliver a death blow to the Iran-backed terror group. It is unpopular at home and is being stymied abroad. The fear now is that Hamas will try to...