Two years after the withdrawal of all US military forces from Iraq, the Iraqi military is facing major challenges as it seeks to confront a resurgence of Islamist violence.

For most of the last decade, the fight against violent extremism in North Africa pitted the United States and its allies against bands of fighters holed up in the wilderness. While many Islamist groups shared the extremists’ goal of creating an Islamic state, most...

Western influence in the Middle East has many drivers: the strong economies of Western states, strong trade with the region, and diplomatic clout around the world. Underlying all of those factors, however, is Western states’ willingness to go to war to defend friends...

The visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is scarcely something to celebrate. There will be the usual vacuous speeches and empty, dishonest rhetoric. Words like “democracy” and “partnership” will be misused with the usual lack of concern....

No one can deny the importance of trying to end Iran’s search for nuclear weapons. Even the most effective U.S. preventive strikes will leave a heritage of tension and confrontation in the Gulf that is likely to mean a continuing arms race and constant risk of some...

The Burke Chair sections on Afghanistan, the Gulf, China, northeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean area report on current trends and challenges in key mission areas.

The first report of the United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic marks a courageous breakthrough on the part of the inspectors, but it also tells only part of a story that needs immediate support from U.S.,...