
Gaps in the international coalition’s approach as well as deep sectarian divisions in Iraq and the shifting strategies of the Syrian regime and its allies are allowing the Islamic State to continue to exist and expand.

In a recent audio recording, the spokesperson of the Islamic State marks the group's first year, admonishes rivals, and fuels sectarian tensions.

Through its pragmatic foreign policy, the leadership of the Kurdistan region has won trust in Washington and other capitals.

A year after declaring a “caliphate,” self-proclaimed Islamic State fighters are claiming attacks in Kuwait and Tunisia.

The fight against the Islamic State has disrupted food production in Iraq, but the Iraqi government is in no shape to fill the food gap.

The rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has prompted Iran and Russia to rethink their strategies in the region in order to protect their interests.

Since the 2011 uprisings across the Middle East, each year has proven more challenging than the last. With conflicts spreading across the region, 2015 will follow a similar pattern.

As regimes and traditional militaries across the Middle East and North Africa crumble, powerful militias have risen in their place. A well structured national guard system is necessary to draw them into the national command structure.

Over the last year the Islamic State gained control of a substantial portion of Syria's energy resources and infrastructure, providing leverage over the regime and depriving it of much needed revenue.

With the recent capture of the city of Palmyra, the Islamic State has reasserted its anti-Assad credentials and put another tremendous economic strain on the Syrian government.