Wall Street Journal (January 18)
“The Trump Administration says Islamic State has been defeated, and it is moving ahead with its withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria and reducing America’s antiterror commitments in Africa,” but the “world’s terrorists don’t seem to have received this news that they’ve been defeated, as a spate of recent attacks around the globe shows.”
Tags: Africa, Attacks, Commitments, Defeated, Islamic State, Syria, Terrorists, Trump, U.S. forces, Withdrawal
PBS News Hour (April 15)
President Trump is now “trying to confront a dilemma that haunted his predecessor, Barack Obama. Syria’s seven-year civil war presents few fast or easy solutions for the U.S., yet the geopolitical rivalries at play, the presence of the Islamic State group and other extremists, and the atrocities perpetrated by the Assad government make the situation impossible to ignore.”
Tags: Assad, Atrocities, Civil war, Confront, Dilemma, Extremists, Geopolitical, Islamic State, Obama, Rivalries, Solutions, Syria, Trump, U.S.
Washington Post (June 6)
“Britain continues to respond with impressive fortitude and sobriety to a string of terrorist attacks claimed by the Islamic State.” In contrast, President Trump appears “to be doing his best to ruin U.S. relations with its closest ally — if any calculation can be imputed to his reckless and irresponsible tweets.”
Tags: Ally, Fortitude, Impressive, Irresponsible, Islamic State, Reckless, Ruin, Sobriety, Terrorist attacks, Trump, Tweets, U.S., UK
Reuters (December 20)
“As soon as he’s inaugurated on Jan. 20, Trump will face a crucial decision: Will he continue the Pentagon’s support and training for the coalition of Syrian rebel groups which is leading a ground offensive to oust Islamic State?” While “the fledgling Trump administration wants to avoid becoming mired in Syria’s complicated war, and has signaled that it wants Russia to continue taking the lead… other powers might try to drag Washington deeper into the conflict, or use it to project strength, or to distract Trump from other goals, such as his insistence on dismantling the Iran nuclear deal.”
Tags: Coalition, Conflict, Decision, Iran, Islamic State, Nuclear deal, Pentagon, Rebel, Russia, Syria, Trump, War
U.S News (October 25)
The Islamic State has proved remarkably hard to stamp out, partly due to its media agility. “The rise of the Islamic State group resembled a digital media start-up, using the same strategies that social media sites like Buzzfeed, Vox or Upworthy have employed…. Their content is relevant, acculturated, localized and focused: an audience-first approach that perfectly matches our 21st century media culture.” The Obama administration also “embraces digital technology,” but in stark contrast “finds itself in the role of a traditional company being disrupted by an agile digital media start-up.”
Tags: Buzzfeed, Digital, Focused, Islamic State, Localized, Relevant, Social media, Start-up, Upworthy, Vox
Bloomberg (December 28)
“The retaking of Ramadi by Iraqi security forces this past weekend was a blow to Islamic State. It’s less clear that it amounts to a major victory for the government in Baghdad, but it at least demonstrates that its U.S.-backed strategy for recapturing territory in Sunni-dominated parts of the country is sound.”
Tags: Baghdad, Iraqi security forces, Islamic State, Ramadi, Recapturing territory, Sunni, U.S.-backed strategy, Victory
New York Times (November 15)
“The coldblooded depravity with which the terrorists gunned down people seated at restaurant tables and picked off hostages in the Bataclan concert hall where more than 80 were killed was horrifying. But Parisians have remained defiant and united…. This attack will harden the resolve of the French against the savagery of the Islamic State, as it must the world’s.”
Tags: Bataclan, Coldblooded, Defiant, Depravity, France, Hostages, Islamic State, Parisians, Resolve, Savagery, Terrorism, Terrorists, United
New York Times (October 9)
“The International Criminal Court will examine the destruction of religious sites as a war crime” for the very first time. The particular case involves the destruction of religious sites in Timbuktu, but will carry greater implications. “The case against Mr. Mahdi in the International Criminal Court strengthens hope that members of the Islamic State will, one day, also face justice for their cultural and religious crimes.”
Tags: Cultural crimes, Destruction, ICC, International Criminal Court, Islamic State, Mahdi, Religious sites, Timbuktu, War Crime
Washington Post (July 3)
“As the Islamic State, Iran and Greece occupy the attention of the Western world, China marches forward, except now it is not just building its economy but also a new geopolitics in Asia.”
Tags: Asia, China, Economy, Geopolitics, Greece, Iran, Islamic State, West
The Economist (March 21)
The Islamic State (IS) may still be launching attacks, but “the good news is that cracks in the caliphate are becoming increasingly apparent. IS is losing ground, money and the consent of the people it rules.”
