10 Years After ISIS’s Genocide, Iraq Is Still Dealing with the Human Legacies

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of ISIS’ capture of a third of Iraqi and Syrian territory and genocide against the Ezidis (Yazidis) and other communities. Supported by the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Iraq declared military victory over the terrorist group in December 2017 and has significantly reduced and controlled the threat ever since. Significant progress has also been made in the recovery and stabilization process, with the successful return to their areas of origin of some five million of the six million Iraqis internally displaced by the conflict and the rebuilding of many of the regions that the conflict devastated.

Mapping Haiti’s Road Toward Justice: Lessons from Colombia and Guatemala

Haiti’s new interim government faces immense challenges, but none are as urgent as breaking the stranglehold that gangs have over the country’s capital, Port au Prince. Force alone will not bring peace, even with the arrival of the modestly-sized and Kenyan-led multinational security support mission. The country instead requires creative, whole-of-society — not just whole-of-government — mechanisms to divert gang members from crime and violence as part of a comprehensive counter-gang strategy.

What You Need to Know About Iran’s Election and New President

In a clear challenge to regime hardliners, Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist and cardiac surgeon, won Iran’s snap presidential election on July 5. The elections were called after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19. The runoff had been considered a tight race, but Pezeshkian won decisively with almost three million more votes than Saeed Jalili, a hardliner and former nuclear negotiator. Due to take office in August, Pezeshkian, a former deputy speaker of parliament and health minister, will take power as Iran’s government faces legitimacy challenges amid an economic crisis. Beyond these domestic challenges, Iran’s new president will have to navigate the evolving regional fallout from the war in Gaza.

US-German missile plans at NATO summit threaten cities deep inside Russia

The decisions taken as the NATO summit in Washington closed Thursday show the NATO imperialist powers are planning direct military intervention against nuclear-armed Russia. The day before, the NATO alliance had announced the creation of an office in Ukraine and of a NATO command in Germany to coordinate the war offensive against Russia.

The Pakistani Army: A Legacy Of Proxy Forces, Terrorism, And Human Rights Violations – OpEd

The Pakistani military is distinguished as the only armed force in the world that embraces “Jihad” as its motto, making it a unique entity that governs a nation rather than being merely a part of a country’s defense system. Since its establishment in 1947, Pakistan has strategically employed proxy forces to not only destabilize the region but also to exert influence on a global scale. One of its initial uses of proxy forces involved sending Pashtun tribe members to engage Indian forces in Kashmir, sparking the first conflict between India and Pakistan. These Pashtun tribesmen were subsequently utilized as proxies in various operations.

A Better Path for Ukraine and NATO

What Kyiv Could Do Now for a Place in the Alliance

We know what will not happen at NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington this week: Ukraine becoming the alliance’s 33rd member. U.S. officials are talking instead about giving Ukraine “a bridge to NATO,” as National Security Council Senior Director for Europe Michael Carpenter put it recently. But when it comes to membership, many of the alliance’s leaders—including the United States and Germany—remain concerned that a formal move will be impossible as long as Kyiv is at war, given the centrality of the alliance’s Article 5 guarantee that an attack against one will be considered an attack against all.

At the NATO Summit, Containment Plus for Russia

This piece is part of a commentary series on the upcoming NATO summit in Washington in which RAND researchers explore important strategic questions for the alliance as NATO confronts a historic moment, navigating both promise and peril.

Palestine and Western Sahara: Two intersecting causes and resistance paths, By Oubi Bouchraya Bachir

This similarity between the two causes has led to the intersection of the two peoples’ struggles at many stages.

The actual challenges and the pressure of the current pivotal juncture that the two causes are going through and the deepening and diversifying aspects of the alliance and joint conspiracy between Israel and Morocco, requires that Palestinians and Sahrawis raise their hands together and march jointly towards achieving freedom and independence. Only together can we exploit the opportunities that exist in the common enemy’s camp.