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Iraq

Nation Building
commentary
Islamic State 2.0
Seth G. Jones @SethGJones
Aug 10, 2017
The Wall Street Journal
Many of Iraq's Sunnis are frustrated with the slow pace of reconstruction and a Baghdad government they consider too friendly to Iran. The U.S. needs to shift from supporting military operations in cities such as Mosul to helping the Iraqi government better address political grievances. Failure risks sowing the seeds of ISIS's resurgence.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
Moving Beyond Mosul
Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100, Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Jul 18, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
The Islamic State group has been defeated in Mosul. But this military routing isn't enough to ensure lasting stability, either in Mosul or in Iraq more broadly. What comes next will require careful planning, diplomacy, implementation, and coordination.
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Counterterrorism
blog
Vickers, Crocker, Bergen, and Mudd Headline RAND ISIS Conference
Jul 6, 2017
Panelists at a RAND conference on ISIS agreed that efforts to protect the U.S. homeland and conduct campaigns to dismantle extremist groups have had success. But many long-term challenges to the broader world order remain that will require strategic patience.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Is ISIS Leader Baghdadi Still Alive?
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Jun 22, 2017
Foreign Affairs
The Russian military announced that it might have killed the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in an airstrike in Raqqa. Would his death weaken the group or will ISIS continue to adapt, evolve, and expand like al Qaeda did?
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
The Islamic State's Disposable Army
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jun 20, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
To leaders of the Islamic State group, murder of its own and collective suicide are keys to its defense strategy. The group targets malcontents and the most suggestible, knowing they are desperate to belong to something and willing to die for it.
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Syria
commentary
When the Caliphate Falls, What Then for U.S. Policy?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jun 16, 2017
Defense One
The eventual fall of ISIS-controlled Raqqa will necessitate a review of U.S. policy in Syria. Policymakers can start thinking about the questions it will raise now.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Developing a Comprehensive Strategy for Countering the Islamic State
Natasha Lander, Kimberly Jackson
Jun 5, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Despite substantial policy and military focus, U.S. attempts to stop the Islamic State group have met with only varying degrees of success. A patient, long-term U.S. investment in governance—including a renewed commitment to addressing the root causes of instability in the Middle East—is needed in Iraq and Syria.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
What Happens After ISIS Goes Underground
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke, Chad C. Serena
May 30, 2017
The National Interest
As the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria suffers defeats on the battlefield, it is expanding its cyber presence to continue to encourage attacks abroad. The more the group relies on cyberspace, the more likely it will expose important segments of its organization to detection and disruption.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
ISIS: Weakened but Still Potent
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
May 18, 2017
The Cipher Brief
ISIS is being defeated as an insurgency while preparing to transform into a clandestine terrorist group. But ISIS will continue to pose a serious threat to the countries where it operates and to the Western nations that it targets as it evolves.
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Terrorism Financing
commentary
Can the Islamic State Survive Financially?
Patrick B. Johnston @J0HNST0N, Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
May 15, 2017
Lawfare
Significant gains have been made in attacking the Islamic State's cash and diminishing its ability to finance high-frequency attacks in Iraq and Syria. But the group may retain enough money to support sporadic attacks in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.
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Special Operations Forces
commentary
SOF's Evolving Role: Warfare 'By, With, and Through' Local Forces
Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100
May 9, 2017
The Cipher Brief
U.S. special operations forces are not providing the muscle of the frontline combat troops fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Instead, they are providing meaningful support to the various indigenous forces. If they succeed, this model could become a standard option in the U.S. military playbook.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
The Caliphate Is Crumbling: What Comes Next?
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke, Craig Whiteside
May 3, 2017
War on the Rocks
ISIL's caliphate is crumbling. But unless the U.S.-led coalition can reduce the many possibilities that might give ISIL's down-and-out members a reason to fight on, the militants will continue to contribute to disorder in the region.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
NATO's Role in Post-Caliphate Stability Operations
Hans Binnendijk, David C. Gompert
May 2, 2017
The National Interest
Steps are needed to fill the vacuum left as the caliphate collapses, lest forces on the ground turn on each other to gain control. The answer is for NATO to act under U.S. leadership. The alternative is either chaos or Iran, backed by Russia, filling the void.
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Disadvantaged Students
commentary
The Urgent Need for an Education Plan in Mosul
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Mar 27, 2017
Fox News Channel
In addition to restoring Mosul's damaged infrastructure, efforts to stabilize the city must include a plan to rebuild education. Students need to make up years of missed K-12 and university education, and ISIS indoctrination needs to be undone.
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Terrorist Organizations
commentary
Beware the New Mujahideen: The Threat from Future Jihadist Networks
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke, Chad C. Serena, Amarnath Amarasingam
Mar 14, 2017
The National Interest
Today's terrorist networks will multiply far beyond the wars in Iraq and Syria. When one conflict ends, these fighters often join another. It is critical they be denied safe haven and the ability to train and network in ungoverned territories.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Why a Dying Islamic State Could Be an Even Bigger Threat to America
Seth G. Jones @SethGJones, James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Mar 13, 2017
Fortune
The collapse of the so-called caliphate won't eliminate ISIS or similar groups. In the short term, the threat of ISIS-related attacks on the West may even grow.
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Iraq

Islamic State 2.0

Moving Beyond Mosul

Vickers, Crocker, Bergen, and Mudd Headline RAND ISIS Conference

Is ISIS Leader Baghdadi Still Alive?

The Islamic State's Disposable Army

When the Caliphate Falls, What Then for U.S. Policy?

Developing a Comprehensive Strategy for Countering the Islamic State

What Happens After ISIS Goes Underground

ISIS: Weakened but Still Potent

Can the Islamic State Survive Financially?

SOF's Evolving Role: Warfare 'By, With, and Through' Local Forces

The Caliphate Is Crumbling: What Comes Next?

NATO's Role in Post-Caliphate Stability Operations

The Urgent Need for an Education Plan in Mosul

Beware the New Mujahideen: The Threat from Future Jihadist Networks

Why a Dying Islamic State Could Be an Even Bigger Threat to America

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