James Phillips is a former visiting fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs at The Heritage Foundation.
View all authorsInternationalCommentary
Suggestions have been floated that the U.S. should work with Iran to defeat the growing threat posed by the Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS… Read More
SecurityCommentary
Here we go again. This week, Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat has threatened that his government will apply for membership to 522 international organizations… Read More
SecurityCommentary
The New York Times published a lengthy article Wednesday about chemical weapons found in Iraq. When it comes to chemical weapons, the New York Times… Read More
InternationalSecurityCommentary
As the Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS or ISIL) tightened the noose around the predominantly Kurdish Syrian city of Kobane in recent weeks, Turkey… Read More
SecurityNews
As the Islamic State terrorist organization commands attention with its cold-blooded tactics of rape and murder, another group of violent extremists in Syria considers itself… Read More
SecurityCommentary
The grisly propaganda videos released by Islamist terrorists of the executions of innocent American hostages are coldly calculated to intimidate the terrorist group’s enemies, inspire… Read More
SecurityNews
Despite repeated U.S. airstrikes ordered by President Obama to blunt the advance of the Islamic State, the brutal terrorist group — also known as ISIS… Read More
SecurityCommentary
ISIS is not just the terror group de jour. They are a hugely successful movement with an apocalyptic, nihilistic philosophy. When they say “convert, join… Read More
InternationalCommentary
As part of the ongoing military campaign in Gaza, the Israeli military says it is now focused on destroying underground tunnels that Hamas is using… Read More
InternationalCommentary
Considering its participation in the new Palestinian unity government, Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israel should lead the U.S. to cut the hundreds of millions in… Read More
SecurityCommentary
Clearly, ISIS was not in the plan. The Obama Administration was caught flat-footed by the triumph of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in… Read More
SecurityNews
With the rapid advance in Iraq of the deadly terrorist group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), political leaders and policy… Read More
SecurityNews
Less than three years after U.S. troops left Iraq, political leaders and policy analysts are wrestling with how to respond to the growing turmoil there…. Read More
SecurityNews
As the vicious Islamist group ISIS upended the status quo in Iraq, another terrorist network — Ansar al-Sharia — broke into the headlines. Although relatively… Read More
SecurityNews
Four letters are topping headlines around the world: ISIS. Pinned at the center of the crisis in Iraq, it’s hard to read or watch the… Read More
InternationalSecurityAnalysis
The swift collapse of Iraqi security forces in northern Iraq in the face of an al-Qaeda-spearheaded Sunni insurgency is a disastrous setback for U.S. counterterrorism… Read More
SecurityCommentary
The sudden rout of Iraqi security forces in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, is a humiliating defeat for the Iraqi government, a severe blow to U.S…. Read More
SecurityCommentary
President Obama’s Middle East policy continues to unravel with dangerous consequences for American national interests and those of its allies. On Monday, the Palestinian Islamist… Read More
Secretary of State John Kerry undiplomatically declared that Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state” if it fails to negotiate a peace agreement with the Palestinian… Read More
The reconciliation agreement announced between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas on April 23 is a severe setback for peace prospects and a slap in… Read More
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to release a report indicating that Iran is fulfilling its commitments under the November interim agreement on… Read More
Last week, a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee held a hearing provocatively titled “Is Al-Qaeda Winning?” The answers that the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade… Read More
News
While posing as a friendly and pragmatic reformer, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has stuck a finger in the eye of Washington by appointing a diplomat… Read More
Last week, Iran was once again caught red-handed shipping arms, including advanced rockets, to Gaza-based Palestinian terrorists. The Israeli navy intercepted the Klos-C, a Panamanian-flagged… Read More
There is mounting evidence that longtime U.S. ally Turkey has gone soft on terrorism since the rise to power of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan…. Read More
Secretary of State John Kerry admitted that the Obama Administration’s policy on Syria was failing and needed to be changed, according to two Republican Senators…. Read More
Last week, the Obama Administration revealed, “Syria has shipped just 4 percent of so-called Priority One chemicals, which were supposed to be completely removed from… Read More
The Obama Administration, which signed an agreement with Iran on Saturday on how to implement its November 24 interim nuclear deal, is now seeking to… Read More
InternationalSecurityCommentary
Al-Qaeda forces in Syria are actively seeking recruits from Americans who have traveled there to fight or to assist opposition forces, according to U.S. officials… Read More
Al-Qaeda, which has surged in strength on both sides of the Iraq–Syria border, captured two important cities in western Iraq on Friday. The seizure of… Read More
