Russia has launched air strikes in Syria, raising the stakes in its Arab ally’s fight against rebels. Four News-Decoder correspondents explain why. Syrians hold posters of President Bashar al-Assad, far left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Damascus, 4...
By Barry Moody U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Kenya and Ethiopia last week focused attention on a vital front in the struggle against Islamic terrorism that rarely makes headlines despite posing a deadly threat. Obama’s discussions with Kenyan and Ethiopian...
By Harvey Morris In a dramatic turnabout, Turkey has launched air strikes against Islamic State (IS) forces that hold territory in neighboring Syria and Iraq. After a year in which Turkey stood aside from a struggle to defeat IS jihadists, the Ankara government’s...
Street celebrations following a nuclear deal in Tehran, Iran, 14 July 2015. Iran is emerging from its reputation as a Middle East pariah. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) By Jonathan Lyons The geopolitical logic in support of the Iran arms deal is certainly compelling,...