Beyond Brussels: Turning the Tide against ISIL in Europe
In a tragic example of foreshadowing, French Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve stated in remarks at the George Washington University earlier this month that the terrorist threat level had never been so high. Last week’s attacks in Brussels plainly reinforce the point while begging the question of how they were possible. The city is, …
10,000 Won’t Do It: The Mathematics of an American Deployment to Fight ISIL
Since followers of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have launched a succession of attacks in Paris, Sen Bernardino, Indonesia, and elsewhere, we have been inundated with another wave of recommendations on how to fight this group. Distinguished senators and retired generals, along with security and terrorism experts, are saying the …
Artillery Returns to the Battlefield in the War against ISIL
Amid Russian air and cruise missile strikes, civilian casualties, proposed no-fly zones, air-to-air shoot-downs, and new surface-to-air missiles in Syria, relatively few news stories have discussed the introduction of Russian artillery into the theater. Though the introduction of artillery may seem less significant than aerial attacks, remember that Napoleon observed: “With artillery, war is made.” …
A Strategic Framework for the Fight Against ISIL
Recent attacks in San Bernardino, Paris, and Sinai are a reminder that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is not just a regional phenomenon, but a threat with global reach that requires a clear and forceful U.S. response. At the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), we have begun an effort …
A Muslim Foreign Legion to Destroy ISIL?
After the horrific attacks on Paris, the world began contemplating how to end the reign of terror of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The United States, France, and Russia have stepped up the pace of their airstrikes in Syria. Seeking a long-term solution, both Sen. John McCain and former Secretary of …
Did Anonymous Just Save The World From ISIL?
Last week, a new cyber front emerged in the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Anonymous, the hacker collective principally known for its website defacements and account takedowns for political causes, initiated #OpParis, aimed at defeating ISIL online. This is not the first Anonymous campaign against ISIL. Their previous foray …
Campaign Acceleration: How to Build on Progress and Avoid Stalemate Against ISIL
There seems to be a perception in the West that the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is stalemated on the main battlefields of Iraq and Syria. That’s probably true in northwestern and central Syria, where ISIL and the Russian- and Iranian-backed Assad regime are containing and eroding progress by …
Should the U.S. Send Ground Troops to Fight ISIL in Iraq? Point/Counter-Point
Over at Task & Purpose, James Cook U.S. Naval War College and Ryan Evans of War on the Rocks square off over this question: Should Washington dispatch U.S. ground forces to fight the Islamic State on Iraqi territory? What do you think? You can weigh in with your vote.
American Leadership Against ISIL Starts in Congress
It is hard to know whether the United States is serious about defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Forward air controllers, no-fly zones, and safe zones aside, the U.S. Congress remains uninterested in passing a dedicated Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against ISIL. This is a travesty of …
ISIL’s Most Important Anniversary is Coming Up and It’s Not What You Think
The headlines told the story. In late June 2014, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was supposedly “celebrating” its “birthday,” the one-year anniversary of declaring itself an “Islamic State” after capturing the Iraqi city of Mosul. Indeed, ISIL’s Nineva province reportedly forced Mosul residents to celebrate the city’s conquest and the group’s …
How Turkey’s entry into the anti-ISIL campaign might save the Islamic State
When Turkish air force F-16s struck Islamic State targets in Syria, it signaled that NATO’s only Middle Eastern member had finally joined the campaign against the proclaimed caliphate on its borders. The attacks were backed by an agreement to allow U.S. aircraft to launch strikes from Turkish air bases, a logistical prize denied for nearly …
Like It or Not, a Solution in Syria Is the Only Way to Defeat ISIL
Thirteen months have passed since the city of Mosul and one-third of Iraq fell to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The U.S.-led coalition, however, still has no comprehensive strategy for dealing with the grave threat ISIL continues to represent. While the Iraqi military is back on the offensive following the fall …
The War Against ISIL: In Search of a Viable Strategy
Recent gains by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq and Syria mark major setbacks in the nearly year-old campaign against the group. These developments undermine Obama administration claims of progress in the war, and highlight fundamental flaws in the administration’s strategy that need to be rectified if the United States and …
Iraq after Ramadi: Saving the Anti-ISIL Strategy
The seizure of Ramadi on May 17 by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was a tactical defeat for the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi government, and — by extension — the U.S.-led coalition. ISIL had a good day; Iraq and its allies had a bad day. Losing Ramadi makes the task ahead …
Kill Ibrahim? The Pros and Cons of Targeting ISIL’s Leadership
For the third time in the last six months, reports are emerging from Iraq that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph and leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has narrowly survived a U.S. airstrike. The Guardian recently reported al-Baghdadi was severely wounded in a March airstrike in the al-Baaj district …
