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Middle East Policy & Politics Security & Conflict

ISIS Is Not al-Qaeda: We Need a Different Strategy

Author Nicole A. Softness argues that ISIS is primarily, and potentially exclusively, prioritizing its territorial claims. She argues that this warrants a new strategy from the US-led counterterrorism alliance: one that treats ISIS like a violent revolutionary movement (more akin to the French and Communist Revolutions), and as a potentially legitimate state, rather than a scattered and decentralized ideological network.

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Europe Middle East Policy & Politics Security & Conflict

Turkey and NATO are better together

Author Ali Cinar argues that leaders from both Turkey and NATO should reaffirm their mutual strategic commitments, as cooperation is imperative to advancing the interests of leaders in Turkey and other NATO partner countries, such as effectively fighting ISIS and managing other threats emanating from the Middle East.

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Asia Pacific Civil Society Governance & Law Security & Conflict

The Evolution of FATA Land into a Hub of Terrorism

Author Ahmad Shah Katawazai discusses the development of terrorist elements in the largely ungoverned Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, describes its implications for regional and international security, and offers policy prescriptions to combat the continued growth of extremism in the FATA.

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Book Reviews Middle East Policy & Politics Security & Conflict

ISIS: The State of Terror

Richard Purcell, a SAIS alum and freelance writer covering international security affairs, reviews Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger’s new book, “ISIS: The State of Terror.”