The Jihadist Wars

After departing Iraq in 2011, U.S. troops returned in 2014 to battle the Islamic State. They have remained even after the jihadist group's defeat.

If the country's October 2020 presidential election opens old wounds, it could usher in instability that militants would be eager to exploit.

Governments in the militant-plagued region will seek to maximize Moscow's support while maintaining ties with their Western allies.

Escalating violence risks forcing France and its allies to rethink their counterterrorism efforts in the vast African warzone, as the question of whether foreign involvement can even improve the crumbling situation looms ever larger.

In this episode, Stratfor's Fred Burton sits down with journalist Mike Giglio, who tells the story of the rise of ISIS' caliphate and the coalition that worked to disassemble it in his new book Shatter the Nations: ISIS and the War for the Caliphate.

In this episode of Stratfor's "Pen and Sword" podcast, Fred Burton speaks with Chris Carr about how his film, "The Dry Cleaner," stacks up to Burton's own experience as a counterterrorism agent with the U.S. State Department, and about the tactics spies often employ to ensure their sources aren't being tailed by someone who could jeopardize their operation.

Hamas stayed on the sidelines of the recent violence between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the result of an apparent strategic shift for both the country and Gaza's rulers.

Al-Baghdadi's death will not significantly weaken the wider capabilities of the Islamic State or its affiliates.