President Donald Trump’s decision on December 19, 2018 to withdraw American forces from Syria unleashed a tsunami of piquant criticism. Much of that criticism is described below. At issue, how does the president’s decision inform us about his leadership in the area of counterterrorism? Criticism of Trump’s Withdrawal Decision…
Strident criticism is continually directed at The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). That criticism is often directed at the failure of the alliance to adjust to the Russian threat that continues to unfold in the wake of Vladimir’s Putin’s efforts to ensure that Russia is relevant again. Critics have…
Following the recapture of Mosul, the second largest city in the country, the government of Iraq issued a proclamation extolling the defeat of The Islamic State. Not long thereafter, the administration of President Donald Trump, following the collapse of the operational headquarters in Raqqa, Syria and in their strong-hold Deir…
Understanding the linkage between leadership, strategy, and counterterrorism is important if the United States is to win the war on terrorism. This post explores the four variables that are central to understanding what constitutes an effective counterterrorism strategy. At issue, a central point of this post is how do…
The battle for Raqqa is the subject of great controversy. Many counterterrorism experts complained about President Barack Obama’s strategy and the failure to intensify the air strikes while others have argued the former American leader should have increased local and US combat firepower to retake the operational headquarters of…