Terrorist attacks in Iran are evidence that, in the Middle East, there are far too many moving parts for US President Donald Trump's recent trip to have changed much on the ground.
An Iraqi soldier inspects a train tunnel adorned with an Islamic State group flag in Mosul, Iraq.
AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed
An expert explains that such claims are probably more calculated and careful than you'd expect.
Iraqi soldiers gather near the remains of wall panels and colossal statues of winged bulls that were destroyed by Islamic State militants in the Assyrian city of Nimrud, late last year.
Ari Jalal/Reuters
Islamic State has destroyed globally-significant sites in Iraq and Syria, but not as wanton acts of destruction. Instead, they are calculated political and religious attacks.
Breathless reporting accompanies each attack, with little time spent addressing the underlying causes.
Nick Lehr/The Conversation via Google
Moha Ennaji, International Institute for Languages and Cultures
Trying to reintegrate foreign fighters who return home shouldn't be considered the soft option. Governments in countries like Morocco and Tunisia need to respond realistically to a complex problem.
A woman holds a flag as she looks out over the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum.
REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Morgan Currie, University of California, Los Angeles and Britt S. Paris, University of California, Los Angeles
Activists today are racing to save climate records from the Trump administration. Secret archives were a powerful way to fight hostile political climates throughout history – from the Nazis to the Islamic State.
Is Trump correct in asserting that NATO has outlived its utility? Or that NATO’s members enjoy a 'free ride' on the back of the US? A political scientist examines the evidence.
Iraqi officials at the site of a suspected mass grave south of Mosul in November 2016.
STR/EPA
Increasingly sophisticated technology allows us to make close-to-perfect copies of everything from paintings to burial chambers. Can a replica bring artefacts to new audiences?
It is unclear how a Trump presidency will shape foreign policy.
Reuters/Lucas Jackson
Videos released by Islamic State have captured the attention of the world for years. But the media focus on its so-called 'slick, professional' video techniques runs the risk of mythologising the terrorist group.
The 1,200 year old Umayyad Mosque – also known as the Great Mosque of Aleppo – lost its minaret (on left) in 2013 after continued heavy gunfire between rebels and Syrian government forces.
Reuters
It is important to prosecute militants who destroy antiquities. But 'everyday' development - from dams flooding towns to the impact of mining on Indigenous rock art – does vastly more damage to heritage than war.
ISIS fighters celebrating in Mosul, Iraq, in 2014. Criminological studies suggest terrorists would use diverse tactics to neutralise feelings of guilt.
Reuters
Do ISIS fighters feel guilty about the violence they perpetrate? Not likely, according to criminological research, which suggests terrorists "neutralise" their guilt, just as many other criminals do.
A child plays in the Kara Tepe camp close to Mytilene on Lesbos island.
Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters
Perceptions of hordes of refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos have damaged tourism. But the refugees are dignified people, not beggars. An initiative is needed to bring tourists back to the island.
