PAY AS YOU STAY?
The president is creating a lot of confusion about the U.S. in Syria, maybe to squeeze cash out of the Saudis. But he’s complicating the already complex policy he signed off on.
TALE OF TWO CITIES
The so-called Islamic State says it’s the only real defender of Sunnis. The story of Aleppo and Palmyra will convince many that’s true.
Counterterrorism Plus
Donald Trump wants to smash ISIS. We agree. But he can do so by giving a large number of Syrians what they’ve always wanted: American protection.
MYSTERY MAN
He was one man, not two. He was mistakenly pronounced dead four times. But the fog surrounding ISIS’s No. 2 is finally beginning to part.
Uh Oh
ISIS is now threatening the one area in Syria where it's had the least luck.
Pure Evil
The army of terror just took out two of the good guys—young activists from a grassroots NGO documenting the atrocities in Raqqa—in its latest snuff video. And there’s more to come.
Horror Show
The terror army is getting more and more desperate to steer the media narrative. So it’s coming up with more and more baroque ways to murder on camera.
Sinking Ship
A major minority sect in Syria doesn't want to fight for an imperiled regime, and could be critical in deciding the next phase of the civil war.
WILY
In an excerpt from their new book on ISIS, Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan show how jihadists used a U.S.-run Iraqi prison to coordinate with al Qaeda.
Clarity, Please
The Syrian strongman is playing a crafty game that’s starting to splinter the opposition. The White House should say he must go.