A new poll finds that Iranians are unhappy with the benefits, or lack thereof, that they've seen as a result of last year's nuclear deal.

An international tribunal rejects nearly all of China's claims around control of the South China Sea. China vows to ignore the ruling, and there's not much anybody can do about that.

A look at some recent developments related to the drone warfare program.

Archeologists find a Philistine grave site in Ashkelon; DNA testing may reveal new information about the Philistines' origins.

Iraqi forces capture an airbase near Mosul, and Washington announces the deployment of more US troops to Iraq.

South Sudan had a short break, but its civil war appears to be back in a big way.

One way that ISIS tries to swell its ranks and increase its power is by eliminating what it calls "gray zones." That term is specifically used to refer to places in the world where Muslims and non-Muslims coexist under non-Muslim governments--so many countries in Europe, or the United States, would fit into this category. The … Continue reading ISIS vs. the gray zone, round ???

We now have a bit of an explanation as to how the U.S.-backed New Syrian Army was so roughly handled by ISIS at Al-Bukamel last week: the lost their air force. Well, to be more precise they lost their American air support: American warplanes were diverted from an offensive launched against the Islamic State last … Continue reading The New Syrian Army lost its air force

Kurds in Iran are clashing with Iranian security forces for the first time in a couple of decades. What's the deal?

Iraqi Interior Minister Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban has submitted his resignation to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the wake of Sunday's dual car bombings that killed upwards of 200 people (the AP is reporting 175, but earlier reports went higher than that) in Baghdad. In doing so, he blamed his ministry, and presumably himself, for … Continue reading The Case of the Phony Bomb Detectors (or: Why Haider al-Abadi May Be Out of a Job Soon)