Bombing an Ariana Grande Concert is Part of a Broader ISIS Campaign Against Girls Mark Leon Goldberg May 23, 2017 The news from Manchester is yet another example of an horrific trend from ISIS: the systematic targeting of adolescent girls and young women around the world. Ariane Grande is a popstar beloved by her fan base of mostly girls and young women. Children -- almos...
With Civilian Deaths Mounting in Mosul, Will the International Criminal Court Intervene? Kimberly Curtis April 3, 2017 The Battle of Mosul that began last October is becoming increasingly deadly for the civilians still trapped in the city. At least 200 civilians have been killed in recent coalition bombings; and the bombing of a mosque in Syria that killed at least 42 civilian...
A Hollow Victory in the Battle for Fallujah? Mark Leon Goldberg June 22, 2016 For two years, Fallujah has been occupied by the Islamic State. The city of 300,000 is situated just 40 miles outside of Baghdad. For the past month, Iraqi security forces and allied militias (along with American backing) have mounted a military campaign to ro...
How the Islamic State Came to Libya Mark Leon Goldberg March 17, 2016 The Islamic state is seemingly on the ascent in Libya. It controls territory, including the coastal city of Sirte, and over the past several weeks it has launched a series of spectacular attacks in Libya and Tunisia. So how did ISIS gain a foothold in L...
Could Instability in Libya Bring Down Tunisia? Sam Fouad March 15, 2016 There is trouble on Tunisia's southern border. Instability in Libya, which is fast becoming an ISIS redoubt, could cause serious discord in Tunisia, which despite it's challenges stands alone as the single Arab Spring success. So, could Libya bring Tunisia ...
ISIS Faces Big Setback in Iraq Alanna Shaikh, MPH November 13, 2015 Iraqi’s Kurds scored a major victory today, retaking the Northern Iraqi City of Sinjar from ISIS. Kurdish troops, known as Peshmerga, spent two days fighting to reclaim Sinjar’s fifty square miles of territory with the support of US airstrikes. Sinjar is a key...
Can ISIS Be “Contained?” The White House is Betting On It. Mark Leon Goldberg June 11, 2015 It was a year ago this week that the Iraqi city of Mosul -- the second largest city in country -- fell to ISIS. The loss of Mosul sparked a re-examination of US policy toward Iraq and ISIS. And just this week, the White House announced that it is sending o...
Episode 57: Jessica Stern Mark Leon Goldberg March 23, 2015 Jessica Stern was a mid level National Security Council staffer when Hollywood literally came calling. Nicole Kidman portrayed a fictionalized version of her work as a nuclear security analyst in the Clinton White House in the film "The Peacemaker" (also starr...
Global Condemnation of ISIS Murder of Egyptian Christians in Libya Penelope Chester February 17, 2015 Egypt launches air strikes in Libya, as global leaders condemn new ISIS provocation