What might seem like an appealing option to US military planners is actually fraught with its own geopolitical perils.

There are push and pull factors pointing to a US troop pullout. But a swift destabilization of Iraq may remove the luxury of choice.

The old guard has yet to moot a palatable candidate for the young Iraqis demanding change.

The seeds of the current crisis were planted during the demise of the Hussein regime.

Large swathes of Iraq and Syria remain utterly devastated by the war with Islamic State.

The avowed foe of both the United States and Iran has seized on popular grievances to win last week’s election, but forming a government won’t be easy.

Is terrorism fueled by economic, social, religious, or psychological factors?

Frantic US-China trade talks get underway, Turkey eyes Iraq’s Sinjar region, and Russian diplomats are expelled throughout the Western world.