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Omar Ashour

Omar Ashour

27 commentaries

Omar Ashour, Professor of Security and Military Studies and Founder of the Security Studies Programs at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, is the author of How ISIS Fights: Military Tactics in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Egypt (Edinburgh University Press, 2021).

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  1. Why ISIS Attacked Russia – and Why Russia Blames Ukraine
    ahour28_STRINGERAFP via Getty Images_crocus STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images

    Why ISIS Attacked Russia – and Why Russia Blames Ukraine

    Mar 25, 2024 Omar Ashour considers how Vladimir Putin, an exemplary cynic, could capitalize on the carnage at Crocus City Hall.

  2. A Game Changer for Syria?
    Syria gas attack Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    A Game Changer for Syria?

    Apr 12, 2017 Omar Ashour thinks the Trump administration's recent missile strike hurt Russia more than the Assad regime.

  3. Syria’s Balance of Terror
    Syrian women hang laundry in Aleppo George Ourfalian/Stringer

    Syria’s Balance of Terror

    Feb 20, 2017 Omar Ashour believes foreign meddling and shifting alliances will derail even the best-intentioned ceasefire.

  4. The Islamic State’s European Strategy
    ashour25_ludovic marin_AFP_Getty Images_eiffel flag Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

    The Islamic State’s European Strategy

    Sep 1, 2016 Omar Ashour explains why ISIS is singling out France and Turkey for its terror campaign in Europe.

  5. Egypt’s Security Harvest
    ashour24_Khaled Desouki_Stringer_Egypt Military Khaled Desouki/ Stringer

    Egypt’s Security Harvest

    Jul 11, 2016 Omar Ashour chronicles the declining faith in civil resistance – and rising violence – since the 2013 coup.

  1. brown111_ALAIN JOCARDPOOLAFP via Getty Images_mpox ALAIN JOCARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    The High Cost of the Netherlands’ Mpox Vaccine Hoarding

    Gordon Brown condemns European populists’ failure to heed the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. charap3_ TATYANA MAKEYEVAAFP via Getty Images)_kursk TATYANA MAKEYEVA/AFP via Getty Images)

    How to Make the Most of the Kursk Gambit

    Samuel Charap & Charles A. Kupchan think Ukraine and its partners have a big opportunity to start working toward a negotiated end to the war.
  3. leonard104_SurkovDimitriGetty Images_USEUflag SurkovDimitri/Getty Images

    The US Election Will Overturn Europe’s Strategic Status Quo

    Mark Leonard worries that Europeans are unprepared for whoever will succeed US President Joe Biden.
  4. mazzucato71 GettyImages-2159148172_AW Getty Images

    The Water-Security Crisis

    Mariana Mazzucato, et al.

    Increasingly severe water shortages represent a human-made crisis that can be resolved through human interventions. The situation demands new thinking about the economics of this critical resource and how to manage it through mission-oriented strategies that span all levels of governance.

    call attention to a global problem that demands far more attention from policymakers at all levels.
  5. reyna1_Martin Schuttpicture alliance via Getty Images_ev green deal Martin Schutt/picture alliance via Getty Images

    The European Green Deal Is Already Benefiting Consumers

    Agustín Reyna rejects the misguided notion that voters are indifferent to environmental concerns.
  6. bremmer34_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_harrissouthkorea Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    What Is Kamala Harris’s Foreign Policy?

    Ian Bremmer

    Although Kamala Harris is largely aligned with Joe Biden on many global and strategic issues, her unique worldview promises a distinct form of leadership on the international stage. Not only would US foreign policy shift under a Harris administration; it could change in highly consequential ways.

    considers how the Democratic presidential nominees' views compare to Joe Biden's.
  7. anheier25_JOHN MACDOUGALLAFP via Getty Images_afd JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

    Will the German Center Hold?

    Helmut K. Anheier considers what is driving support for extremist parties in the country’s eastern states.
  8. delong263_MEGAN JELINGERAFP via Getty Images_USindustrysteel Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images

    America Has No Alternative to Industrial Policy

    J. Bradford DeLong thinks new threats to economic security outweigh the reasons for opposing government-led development.
  9. nye261_Kevin DietschGetty Images_us election Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    US Foreign Policy in 2025

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. compares the two presidential candidates’ attitudes and positions on major global issues.

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