The murder of US journalist James Foley by an Islamic State militant who appears to be British has shocked the world and the UK. This was the most graphic example to date of a UK citizen’s involvement…
James Foley in Libya, 2011.
Jonathan Pedneault/Find James Foley
The vicious execution of US journalist James Foley by militants of the Islamic State deepens the concern that international law and diplomacy may be ill-equipped to address crimes against media workers…
The silent majority of Muslims shouldn’t be blamed for the actions of Islam’s radical followers – they are victims of radical Islam.
EPA/Ali Abbas
Stretching from north Africa to east Asia, many Muslims are engaged in a life-and-death tussle with extremists who are bent on extinguishing the diversity of opinions within the Muslim community. Atrocities…
Bearing witness: more needs to be done to protect journalists like James Foley.
Nicole Tung/Find James Foley
The appalling death of journalist James Foley has highlighted once again the inherent dangers facing reporters covering conflicts around the world. Foley, who worked for both US news site Global Post and…
A screengrab from Islamic State’s execution video of American journalist James Foley.
Liveleak
The US government has confirmed the veracity of a video showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley by Islamic State (IS) militants. US president Barack Obama condemned the act overnight…
An international Red Crescent aid truck sponsored by Syria’s government.
Syrian Arab News Agency/EPA
Black-clad fighters, suffering refugees and Western warplanes overhead – these are the mainstays of Iraq and Syria coverage as the Islamic State (IS) continues its campaign. Notably absent from debates…
Personal dispositions, feelings and beliefs may play a decisive role in explaining why people become radicalised.
EPA/Stringer
So far, the ongoing discussions about radicalisation of extremists both at home and abroad have tended to emphasise its sociological aspects. It has focused on concepts such as the religion and social…
The difference between the seething realm of Islamic State (IS) and the relatively safe and democratic region of Iraqi Kurdistan is a stark one. Assuming that the combined humanitarian and military reinforcements…
Like him or loathe him, the late Samuel Huntington was one of the towering figures in political science and international relations. Even those who disagreed with his ideas were forced to engage with them…
Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Shiite volunteers take position in the fight against the Islamic State.
EPA/STR
As the Islamic State (IS) continues to gain ground, it is largely Kurdish territory that they are taking in northwestern Iraq. One result of the conflict has been to bring close military co-operation between…
A ban on Islamic State in Indonesia will not be enough to stop young extremists from joining the group.
AAP/Newzulu/Agoes Rudianto
The Indonesian government recently banned Islamic State (IS) – formerly known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) – the extremist group that has been on a rampage in Syria and Iraq. The Indonesian…
Members of the Yasidi religious minority refugees boarding an aid flight in Sinjar, August 10.
EPA/Michel Reimon
The immediate crisis to which the British government is now scrambling to find an appropriate response is the desperate plight of hundreds of refugees stranded on a mountain ridge and surrounded by forces…
Political crisis in Iraq: “Al-Maliki is our choice” insist supporters of the ousted PM.
EPA/Ali Abbas
One of the defining moments in the growth of the Islamic State (IS) was when its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announced in a mosque in Mosul at the end of June that an Islamic Caliphate was being established…
Covering atrocity on August 12 2014.
Daily Mirror, The Times, The Sun.
Even for a world accustomed to news reports of conflict and disaster, the past three months seem to be unprecedented for the frequency of horrific events. From the continuing tragedies in Syria, to the…
Iraq is rapidly spiralling into a humanitarian catastrophe, with the persecuted Yazidi religious minority facing genocide.
EPA/Mohammed Jalil
US president Barack Obama has confirmed that the US military made targeted airstrikes and carried out a humanitarian operation in Iraq, marking the deepest US engagement in the country since US troops…
Islamic State militants have destroyed sites of great cultural and historical significance in Iraq, such as the tomb of the prophet Jonah in Mosul.
EPA/Stringer
Iraq previously had one of the most multicultural societies in the Middle East. A broad diversity of religions, races and cultures flourished in Iraq, united by common heritage, culture and traditions…
Smoke pours from the Baiji oil refinery, the largest in Iraq, by some reports under the control of ISIS forces.
EPA/STR
The mid-June penetration of northwestern Iraq by the extreme Islamist movement ISIS has prompted major concerns about the world’s oil supply and energy security. The group’s incursion threatens Iraq’s…
Prince Faisal and his party (including T E Lawrence) at Versailles, 1919.
Wikimedia Commons
The sweeping advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has given rise to a lively debate about who should bear ultimate responsibility for the disintegration of Iraq and Syria. On one hand…
Iraqis fleeing from Mosul after ISIS took control.
EPA/Kamal Akrayi
Iraq is facing its most alarming crisis in years. The second city of Mosul and the major city of Tikrit have been seized by a violent jihadist group, ISIS – the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, formerly…
On the march: IS fighters in Fallujah.
EPA/Mohammed Jalil
The capture of most of Mosul, Iraq’s second city, by Islamist paramilitaries has caused shock across the Middle East and in western capitals, especially Washington, but follows a pattern developing over…