This went unmentioned during President Obama's big "Hey, Let's Not Freak Out" address last night, but something happened over the weekend that, more than any number of airstrikes or special forces raids, could really be a blow to ISIS's plans: Libya's two rival parliaments have reached an initial agreement aimed at resolving the political crisis … Continue reading Some genuinely bad news for ISIS

This is almost too silly to even mention, but it's Friday and it's late, so here you go: Now a Turkish court has summoned a group of experts in psychology, behavioral science, and other fields to help determine if — beyond being creepy, clammy, and possessed by his desire for the ring — Gollum is … Continue reading It taunts us, precioussss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj5VuaAF6g8 Credit where credit is due, Marco Rubio makes a great point here: Appearing on Fox & Friends, 2016 GOP presidential contender Marco Rubio hammered at Democrats for proposing additional gun control laws after the San Bernardino attack, adding that “the left” never talks about “bomb control.” Rubio voted against additional restrictions on gun possession … Continue reading An idea whose time has come

In the weeks since the terror attacks in Paris, a fair amount of digital ink has been spilled on the question of America's Gulf allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, and the role those nations have played in fueling and/or combating (but mostly fueling) ISIS. This discussion hasn't been limited to media thinkpieces, either; the Pentagon has … Continue reading Holding our allies accountable

Investigators have uncovered a pledge of allegiance to ISIS on Tashfeen Malik's Facebook account, made (and then apparently deleted) just before she and her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, killed 14 people in that shooting in San Bernardino on Wednesday. There as yet appears to be no evidence that either Malik or Farook had any contact … Continue reading “Inspired” is a hell of a word

Amid all the San Bernardino news, I almost forgot that today is (or really was, at this point) Arbaʿeen (there are some great photos at that link). This is a Shiʿa religious observance that occurs forty days (hence the name, arbaʿin, which is Arabic for "forty") after Ashura, the commemoration of the day when Imam … Continue reading Arbaʿeen

The Army is sending another 100 (ish) people to Iraq: A new force of special operations troops being deployed by the United States to Iraq will likely number around 100, U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren said on Wednesday. "It will be ... probably around 100, maybe a little bit less," said Warren, a spokesman for … Continue reading More non-boots that are not on the ground

On Sunday, Turkey and the European Union reached a deal to try to stem the tide of Syrian refugees passing through Turkey and into Europe: Under Sunday’s agreement, Turkey would increase patrols in the Aegean Sea and on the land borders with Greece and Bulgaria, as well as crack down on human-trafficking gangs. Turkey also … Continue reading Cutting deals with peoples’ lives

UPDATE: A picture is emerging that suggests that Farook was "radicalized," perhaps in Pakistan (where authorities know he traveled in addition to his travel to Saudi Arabia), and had ties to people overseas who are known to US counter-terrorism officials. No idea who those people are, but if you're picking between the Terrorism Big Two, … Continue reading San Bernardino latest