Special Analysises

The Islamic State’s Revitalization in Libya and its Post-2016 War of Attrition

Abstract: Following its territorial loss of Sirte in December 2016, the Islamic State in Libya has rebounded to wage a war of attrition that seeks to derail Libyan state formation. During the last two years, the group has been able to ‘reset,’ moving through recovery, reorganization, and now re-engagement phases.

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Isis in Action

On 16 August, the Libyan National Army (LNA) claimed to have killed three ISIS-Libya fighters in Ghadduwa, after they were briefly besieged by locals near a farm.

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Iran: The U.S. Brings Maximum Pressure to the UN

The Trump administration continues its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, now with an attempt to restore pre-2015 UN sanctions, a right reserved for signatories to the nuclear deal it abandoned. Other UN Security Council members should disregard this gambit and urge Tehran not to overreact.

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Trei state membre NATO se ameninţă şi se şicanează reciproc. Ce poate face Alianţa?

Nu s-a ajuns la aprinderea focurilor războiului, dar nici nu suntem extrem de departe. Motivul imediat îl constituie drepturile de foraj şi definirea dată de partea greacă sau de cea turcă a zonelor economice exclusive (EEZ).

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The Black Sea: Economic Region or Intersection?

For those who study the countries and regions that surround it, the Black Sea is many things — a global trade thoroughfare, a zone of contestation, a cradle of civilizations, and a dying ecosystem. But, curiously, one of the more opaque factors is whether the Black Sea region — the states and polities on its littoral and immediate hinterland — is a region at all, properly speaking. Although a regional cultural or political identity has long proven elusive, there was a time when the Black Sea began to possess the rudiments of an economic one. It could again.

Special Analysises

Islamic State Global Operations

TRAC Senior Analyst Daniel Lebowitz provides deep insight into the Islamic State during its “War of Attrition” in July, (more below.) Lebowitz catalogs the group’s attacks in eleven areas of operation that culminated in the lead up to Eid al-Adha. According to the special report, 189 high profile attacks took place across the world in July. Iraq, Syria, and West Africa led the list of countries where the most kinetic activity took place. TRAC’s statistical analysis of Islamic State activities worldwide assists in understanding where IS expansion and increased tempo of operations are occurring. Though the steady pace of attacks in Syria and Iraq have remained relatively constant, notable upticks in Bangladesh, west and central Africa and Sinai indicate Islamic State’s continued global reach.