Apr 10, 2021

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

In 1971 Dr. John R. Thomas documented the involvement of the Soviet Union in the Middle East from the start of the Cold War. Like its name and borders, the motivations for that country’s involvement in the region have changed. Russia today promulgates relationships with the governments of the Middle East in a nonideological, more limited manner

Oct 30, 2016

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew Terrill The full story of the July 15-16, 2016, Turkish coup attempt may not be known for some time, but it is clear that a limited number of officers attempted to overthrow the government and either capture or kill elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The government has accused these officers of belonging to the Fethullah Gulen

Jan 21, 2016

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew Terrill In one of the opening scenes of the 1973 movie, The Exorcist, an older Catholic priest stands among the ruins of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Hatra.1  In the movie, he views an ancient statue of an Assyrian wind demon and stares directly into the stone representation of his enemy’s face.  In the background, two extremely

Nov 6, 2015

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew TerrillIn an unexpected effort to protect a key Middle Eastern ally, the Kremlin intervened in Syria with military forces in late September 2015. This effort was undertaken to protect the Bashar Assad regime from Islamist and secular rebels now threatening his regime. Moscow initiated this action with a limited force that may be

Oct 1, 2015

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew TerrillThe Syrian civil war began in March 2011 and has claimed nearly 250,000 lives so far. After over 4 years of internal fighting, the Kremlin has decided to expand its role in this conflict by moving combat aircraft and some ground troops to Syria to support the Bashar al-Assad government. These actions seem like a clear prelude

Apr 24, 2015

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew TerrillThe large and strategically located country of Yemen is again in crisis. The moderate government of President Abed Rabbu Hadi has been driven from several key cities, including the capital of Sanaa, by the military offensives of Shi’ite Houthi rebels and their allies from the former regime of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Feb 9, 2015

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew TerrillCurrently, U.S. policy analysts and governmental leaders are examining the rise of the Islamic State (IS) organization, particularly its seizure of vast expanses of Iraqi territory in the summer of 2014. People legitimately ask what could have been done and would a residual U.S. force in Iraq have prevented the spread of IS

May 5, 2014

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew Terrill The Syrian civil war is widely understood to have a strong sectarian component. In this conflict, Bashar Assad’s Alawite–dominated regime is seeking to crush an uprising led by majority Sunni Arabs. The Alawites are a branch of Shi’ite Islam and have been supported by Shi’ite allies including Iran, the Lebanese terrorist group

Dec 30, 2013

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew TerrillThe Syrian civil war began in March 2011 when large numbers of peaceful protestors began demanding an end to the brutal autocratic rule of President Bashar Assad. Many Syrian demonstrators hoped that their dictatorship could be overthrown as easily as those in Tunisia and Egypt as part of the regional process now known as the

Mar 13, 2013

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew TerrillUnmanned aerial vehicles (often known as drones) have recently been the subject of intense controversy due to their use in remote parts of the world to target individuals designated as terrorists. This concern is appropriate, because many aspects of their use are clearly in need of scrupulous legal and ethical consideration.

Dec 7, 2012

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew Terrill The United States and its allies are currently seeking to use international sanctions to prevent Iran from developing the technology leading to a nuclear weapons capability.   It remains uncertain if the sanctions will be effective, and the U.S. leadership has correspondingly announced that all options—including military

Jul 9, 2012

By Dr. W. Andrew Terrill

Dr. W. Andrew Terrill The Egyptian political system is currently undergoing significant change, although the outcome of this process remains subject to a great deal of uncertainty. There are numerous influential players involved in the struggle for political power, but the two that are of greatest interest at the present time are the Muslim