Daniel R. DePetrisMay 6, 2013 06:13

The second war in Syria is a struggle among Assad’s opponents

Commentary: This battle is smaller, but just as vital to the country’s future.

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Rebels celebrate in a street in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa after capturing the city on March 4, 2013. (MOHAMMAD AL-HUSSEIN/AFP/Getty Images)

The world may be focused on the big fight in Syria between the rebels and Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but there is a smaller, albeit just as significant, second front going on that much of the region’s leaders seem to have either ignored or forgotten.

Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra pledges allegiance to Al Qaeda

News DeskApril 10, 2013 09:10

"We reassure our brothers in Syria that al-Nusra's behavior will remain faithful to the image you have come to know, and that our allegiance [to Al Qaeda] will not affect our politics in any way," insists the head of the rebel group.

Alan GilbertMarch 23, 2013 09:06

Presidential deceptions on Iraq led US to abandon core values

Commentary: Torture and killing innocents with drones continue to haunt Americans.

Clone of Iraq war ends ptsd unemployment 12 15 11

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United States Army soldiers salute during the playing of retreat at Camp Virginia, near Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Dec. 15, 2011. Ten years after the beginning of the Iraq War, public opinion of US involvement is still quite mixed. (Joe Raedle/AFP/Getty Images)

DENVER — In 2002 and early 2003, the Bush Presidency had rolled out a campaign to promote an invasion of Iraq. Condoleezza Rice’s statement, the “smoking gun might be a mushroom cloud,” created a popular sound bite for the administration’s warning that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Al Qaeda in Iraq claims Baghdad bomb attacks

Jessica PhelanMarch 20, 2013 11:40

At least 56 people were killed and more than 200 wounded when coordinated car, roadside and suicide bombs exploded in and around Baghdad during the Tuesday morning rush hour.

Mac DefordMarch 15, 2013 06:58

What was Biden signaling in his pro-war comments on Iran to Israeli lobby?

Commentary: Is the vice president building his own hardline bona fides for 2016?

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US Vice President Joe Biden addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual policy conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on March 4, 2013, in Washington, DC. Biden boldly confirmed the political, historical and military ties between the two countries and emphasized President Barack Obama's support for Israel, a country the president will visit later this month. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

OWL’S HEAD, MAINE — Next week will mark the 10th anniversary of the United States' invasion of Iraq, the low point of many in George W. Bush's failed presidency.

Tom FentonJanuary 31, 2013 07:14

Obama’s cautious foreign policy has proved right so far

Commentary: Events, not intentions, will shape his record in the second term.

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US President Barack Obama waves to supporters after his victory speech at McCormick Place on election night Nov. 6, 2012, in Chicago, Ill. The president was sworn in for his second term in office on Jan. 21, 2013, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Obama’s first term failed to live up to the expectations of the left wing of his party, which hoped for a more radical change in domestic policy. His second term is likely to disappoint another important constituency — the media and foreign policy elites in Washington, D.C.

Riots rage in Mombasa, Kenya over killing of Muslim cleric Aboud Rogo Mohammed (VIDEO)

Erin Conway-SmithAugust 28, 2012 15:15

Hundreds of angry youths threw stones, barricaded roads with burning tires and looted shops in Kisauni, a predominantly Muslim area of Mombasa.

John Mueller and Mark G. StewartAugust 4, 2012 08:39

Putting Al Qaeda in perspective

Commentary: The US sheds blood and treasure on a threat no more risky than taking a bath.

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The annual “Tribute in Light” memorial echoing the twin towers of the World Trade Center illuminates the night sky during the 10th Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

Material seized when Osama bin Laden was killed last year reveals that its members have been primarily occupied with dodging drones, complaining about the lack of funds, and watching a lot of pornography.

Tristan McConnellJune 26, 2012 15:07

Triple threat: Coordination suspected between African terrorist organizations

Despite scant evidence, government officials are concerned by potential operational links between Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and Al Shabaab in Somalia.

Al qaeda boko haram al shabaab terror coordination

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A car lies upside-down, vandalized on June 17 by Christian mobs in reprisal for a suicide bomb attack. Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists claimed responsibility for suicide attacks on three churches that sparked reprisals by Christian mobs who rampaged and burned mosques, killing least 52 people. (Victor Ulasi/AFP/Getty Images)

NAIROBI — The top US military commander for Africa has warned that Al Qaeda affiliates are seeking to strengthen ties across the continent. General Carter Ham, commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), described Nigeria's Boko Haram, Somalia's Al Shabaab and the Saharan Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb as "dangerous and worrisome" but added that there were signs the groups were trying to coordinate their activities.

Toulouse hostages: 'Al Qaeda' gunman wounded as police storm bank

News DeskJune 20, 2012 08:10

All of the hostages were released unharmed and the gunman was arrested.