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Economy Geopolitics

Why A New African Alliance To Fight Islamists Is Likely To Fail — To Russia’s Benefit

Burkina Faso, Mali And Niger, three military-led Sahel countries, recently withdrew from the ECOWAS regional bloc and established a new military alliance to tackle jihadist violence in the region. But the new forces’ prospects for success are slim.

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Geopolitics

Tunisia-Syria-Tunisia, The Human Tide Of Jihadists Is Turning Again

Following the collapse of the Assad regime, Tunisia and other countries are concerned about the return of thousands of jihadist nationals believed to have been held in Syria. Amid overcrowded prisons and fears of extremism, what are governments in Tunis and other Arab countries doing to prepare for their potential return?

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Geopolitics Ideas

Exclusive: The Secret Global Data Cell Infiltrating Jihadists

We knew the name: Operation Gallant Phoenix. But now Le Monde has exclusive access to details of the U.S.-led, Jordan-based effort to use digital tools to track, capture and convict some of the most dangerous perpetrators of Islamist terror around the wor

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Geopolitics Ideas Society

Ivory Coast Tries To Keep Terrorists From Crossing Border

They shall not pass: Since July, soldiers have stepped up patrols along the country’s 1,600-km border with Mali and Burkina Faso.

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Geopolitics

Hamas v. ISIS, An Islamist Civil War Simmers In Gaza

After Syria, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere, ISIS tries to take root in the Palestinian enclave governed by the Islamists of Hamas. Internecine conflicts get ugly fast.

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Geopolitics

Congolese Crossroads: Between Cannibalism, Jihad And Hope For Progress

GOMA — “They realized he wasn’t one of them because he didn’t speak Swahili. Then they pulled him off the bus he was traveling on, stoned him to death, opened his chest and ate his heart.” Hearing this story from a high-ranking United Nations official, one immediately asks if this is just a legend of […]

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blog Syria Crisis

Tikrit In Ruins After Saddam Hometown Liberated From ISIS

TIKRIT — A line of vehicles has formed in front of the checkpoint at the southern entrance to Tikrit. The nine members of the Mouslah family, their personal goods and some food are stuffed into their overcrowded car. As policemen give instructions, the father, Nasser, fills out a form on the hood of the car […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

What So-Called Religious Wars Are Really About

In the end, it has nothing to do with God. From biblical times to crusades and jihad, self-proclaimed “holy wars” are actually driven by power, territory and economic interests.

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Geopolitics Ideas

For The West, There’s No Walking Away From Arab Conflicts

-OpEd- BERLIN — American Foreign Policy magazine’s home page is a little bit like a quotation board for security policy strategies. Here you see not only how various players evaluate the world’s conflicts but also how much support there is for their point of view, because the number of times the article has been shared […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

From Gaddafi To The Reign Of Militias, Libya’s Revolution Unravels

-Analysis- Over the past few days, armed gangs have been setting Libya ablaze. The slogans sound familiar: “May the martyr’s blood not be shed in vain!” Nothing could be less certain. The country is sinking into chaos, and many Libyans say things are worse than the era of Muammar Gaddafi — the dictator who was […]

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Society

Rebuilding Timbuktu’s Destroyed Heritage

Jihadists destroyed 14 of the 16 sacred mausoleums of the “city of 333 saints” two years ago. Local and international efforts are restoring the sites, an encouraging a more tolerant Islam.

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blog

Iran General Sees U.S.’Game’ In Islamist Surge In Iraq

The stunning assault this week in Iraq by the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is bad news for Iran, which has been a staunch ally of Iraqi Prime Minister (and fellow Shia Muslim) Nouri al-Maliki. But beyond condemning the Sunni foes from ISIS, some in Tehran are pointing the finger at Washington. […]

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Geopolitics Society

Germany’s “Jihad Cheerleaders,” Running Off To Marry Islamist Terrorists

BERLIN — Sonya* disappeared during the fall school vacation in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The 16-year-old high school student, the daughter of an Algerian and a German, left her family’s house in Konstanz and never returned. Sonya’s parents called the police fearing the worst. Had their daughter been kidnapped? Was she possibly the victim […]

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Geopolitics

Along Syrian Border, Lebanese Militias Are Forming

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Geopolitics Syria Crisis

Snapshot Of A Syrian Smuggler: Arms, Antiquities And Jihad Along Turkey’s Border

As war has made regular work scarce, Ayham has trafficked in anything that has a buyer. But lately he says the face of the black market has started to change.

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