A growing rift in US-Philippine relations, presidential elections in Gabon, and the looming battle for Mosul.

After years of preparation, the third battle of Fallujah has begun, and this time it’s the Iraqi armed forces doing the fighting.

Though 2015 saw Islamic State manage a string of high-profile victories, the terrorist group’s luck may be running out.

Islamic State is certainly different from many of the terrorist groups that preceded it. But is it actually a state?

The US policy to contain Islamic State’s advance in Iraq has failed. Now Washington must stand by and watch as Baghdad fails even harder.

Whether they keep the city or not; the damage is already done. The fall of Ramadi is a major setback in the war against Islamic State.

To truly understand the rise of Islamic State we must look back at the historical origins of its doctrine.

The Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain-al-Arab, has been the site of fierce fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamic State (ISIS) for over three weeks. Some have even come to see it as a crucible for President Obama’s military strategy, arguing that if ISIS can still make territorial gains despite US air strikes, the chances for total victory over Islamic State are pretty bleak.

President Obama’s plan to destroy Islamic State is ineffective at best. Rather, NATO allies should aim towards forcing the terrorist organization to implode from within.

While it’s expected that it will be the Kurds who separate from Iraq, the real beneficiaries from a break-up of the country would be the Shia. They’re the ones who control 80 percent of the country’s oil wealth, and they would prefer not to share it with hostile neighbors.