Middle East Security Research

This backgrounder examines the PYD within the context of regional Kurdish politics in order to forecast their likely course as the Syrian civil war unfolds.

This timeline details the activities of Ali Mussa Daqduq from his start with Hezbollah in 1983 until his release in 2012. It will be updated as new information is uncovered.

This map shows the movements of rebel forces in northern Syria during October and November 2012.

In this video, Joseph Holliday presents his methodology to identify and track rebel groups in Syria. Using international media, YouTube videos, and Facebook pages, he verifies and describes rebel activity and assigns responsibility to named rebel groups.

As the proficiency of Syria’s armed opposition has increased, the Assad regime has been forced to rely on more of its arsenal to combat the opposition.

Are Sanctions Against Iran Effective? Institute for the Study of War’s Chris Harmer on efforts to pressure Iran to end its nuclear program.

Jabhat Nusra is a Syrian Salafist organization that is increasing both its lethal capability and its popular base in Syria. Learn more in this slideshow.

The pattern of violent incidents attributed to Salafist groups in Libya from March 2012 to September 2012 indicate that security across the country, and particularly in Benghazi, had deteriorated prior to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.

ISW is pleased to announce the publication of a comprehensive account of the war in Iraq by Michael R. Gordon, former Senior Fellow at ISW and Chief Military Correspondent at The New York Times.

This report examines the presence of jihadist groups in Syria, explains where Syrian rebel groups and foreign elements fall along the spectrum of religious ideology, and considers their effect on the Islamification of the Syrian opposition.