The repatriation of Islamic State fighters, family members and refugees living in makeshift camps and prisons in Syria will take decades at its current pace, a quandary that U.S. military officials and analysts say adds to the risk of a militant resurgence. More than 50,000 people, mostly women and children from about 60 countries, are housed at a camp named al-Hol, which was described...

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Fragility & Resilience

Saudi diplomats visited the Iranian capital on Saturday to discuss the reopening of both countries’ embassies, taking the latest material step towards restoring relations under a tripartite agreement announced by Riyadh, Tehran and Beijing in March. Saudi Arabia and Iran, moving to mend ties after seven...

Global Policy

The bodies are piling up in Afghanistan as the Taliban claim to be wiping the country clean of a resurgent Islamic State in a campaign that should be music to the ears of the U.S. military, counterterrorism, and intelligence communities, which regard the Islamic State as a major threat to homeland and global security...

Violent Extremism

According to a report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL), the US left behind weapons and equipment, including firearms, communications gear, and even armored vehicles which gave the militants a “vast war chest”. Pakistan always desired not to indulge in blame game with Afghanistan and had repeatedly urged the...

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

Afghan women and men who work for the U.N. Mission in Afghanistan stayed home Thursday while the United Nations sought clarification on the Taliban’s statement ordering all local female employees to be fired because of their sex. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in New York that the Security Council was briefed on the issue Thursday and that the organization was...

Fragility & Resilience;  Peace Processes;  Conflict Analysis & Prevention

WASHINGTON — Three words — “Assad must go'' — once came to define US policy in Syria. Today, the Biden administration's stance could be summarized as, Assad must not be normalized without something in return. The Arab world is rebuilding ties with President Bashar al-Assad, more than a decade after...

Conflict Analysis & Prevention;  Democracy & Governance;  Mediation, Negotiation & Dialogue

China’s growing role in the Middle East, as it helps Saudi Arabia and Iran negotiate its differences, is talk of the town. However, senior fellow at the Stimson Center, Sameer Lalwani’s recent paper for the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) draws attention back to Asia. South Asia to be precise, where...

Global Policy

The recent surge in India’s arms sales to Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia, points to New Delhi’s desire to become a key arms supplier in a bid to stem China’s growing assertiveness in the region, analysts said. Last month, India-based defence firm BrahMos Aerospace said it was in advanced...

Conflict Analysis & Prevention