Inside Hamas: How It Thinks, Fights, and Governs

Abstract: Hamas has evolved from a Muslim Brotherhood-rooted social-religious movement into a hybrid actor that governs, polices society, and wages organized violence. The October 7, 2023, terrorist attack marked a watershed for Israel and the world. Against that backdrop, this article maps how Hamas thinks, operates, fights, and governs—from its origins to the present—showing how a religious structure and social-welfare dawa network hardened into an organized war machine. Based on first-hand interviews with senior figures, including its founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, it details the ideology, organizational architecture, and decision-making that drive both the dawa apparatus and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The analysis tracks pivotal inflection points—from the First Intifada and Marj al-Zuhr deportations through Gaza’s 2007 takeover, successive wars, and Iranian/Hezbollah backing—to October 7. It concludes by assessing Hamas’ degraded yet durable capabilities, internal factional dynamics, and implications for Gaza’s ‘day after.’

Five Key Considerations on Terrorism and Political Violence

Abstract

The evolving threat of terrorism and political violence in the United States cannot be understood without observing technological change, institutional memory, and societal resilience. Recent discussions underscore five urgent considerations: (1) sustaining lessons from two decades of counterterrorism, (2) preparing for AI and drone-enabled battlefields, (3) confronting the misuse of commercial technologies, (4) maximizing open-source intelligence collaboration, and (5) analyzing the connection between counternarcotics and counterterrorism. Across all five lies a central truth: adversaries exploit division, while unity across government, private sector, and civil society is America’s most credible form of deterrence.

SPECIAL REPORT: How Imo became Nigeria’s most dangerous state for journalists

In its 2024 Openness Index, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) declared Imo State the worst place to be a journalist in Nigeria. The index, a subnational assessment of press freedom and civic space in Nigeria, was published in July. It ranked states based on political openness, media independence, and the safety of civic actors.

Trump’s Gaza peace plan: Ending the war, not Israel’s occupation

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, US President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip on Monday – billed as a bold attempt to end the conflict and reshape the enclave’s political future.

The plan sets out a phased ceasefire, the creation of a governing body for Gaza, and a US-chaired “peace board” to oversee the transition, with the Trump administration in sole charge.

Is an Assadist insurgency emerging on the Syrian coast?

In a shaky handheld video uploaded on 2 September to an obscure Facebook page, a man crouching low behind an earth berm films a busy highway.

He mumbles the date and then says, “we are the Men of Light,” before an explosion immediately rips through a passing General Security vehicle in front of him.

The Forgotten Jihad: The Economic War That Enslaves Us All.

By Salim Badat

We are easily deceived. The world shows us politicians, presidents, and prime ministers, their speeches, debates, and promises dominate the headlines.

Yet these men and women are not the real masters of power. Behind them stands another force, older, quieter, but infinitely stronger: the bankers, corporations, and financial dynasties who pull the strings.

This is the economic jihad we overlook, and it is the one that truly matters. Wars are not fought for freedom or democracy; they are fought for oil, gold, gas, and control of infrastructure.

Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan: Comprehensive, Ambitious, and Uncomfortably Ambiguous

U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan for the Gaza Strip, unveiled on Monday during meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes at a crossroads. On the eve of the war’s two-year anniversary, the humanitarian dimensions of the crisis increasingly are intersecting with political pressures and security priorities. This makes any approach to reconstruction and stability in Gaza a difficult test: Can this peace plan reconcile its ambitions with the reality on the ground?

The 5% Solution: A Realpolitik Path to Peace in Ukraine

Teaser: A modest territorial concession, backed by NATO guarantees and Russian investment, could end the stalemate, secure Ukrainian sovereignty, and lay the groundwork for lasting European stability.

Summary: This essay argues that the war in Ukraine will not end through total victory but through pragmatic compromise—a “5% solution.” Ukraine would cede a small portion of its territory in exchange for NATO guarantees, Russian investment in reconstruction, and a shared responsibility for debt. At the same time, the land would become an Economic Cooperation Zone, fostering cooperation instead of permanent division. Drawing on the Finnish precedent and current economic and military realities, the piece presents a realpolitik argument that this deal could preserve Ukrainian sovereignty, stabilize Europe, and transform Moscow from an adversary into a partner.