Author Archives: Azzam Al Kassir

One major source of the resilience and rapid territorial expansion of so called Islamic State (IS) lies in the group’s ability to invest in death through managing it strategically to achieve significant military gains. It is astonishing to realise that over the course of 2016, IS launched nearly a 1000 suicide attacks in Syria and Iraq. AlthoughContinue reading “IS’ strategic management of death”

Following the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in 1991, the international coalition participating in Operation Desert Storm had the opportunity to decisively end the rule of Saddam Hussein. Yet based on considerations of realpolitik, the coalition decided to stop short of delivering a knockout blow to Saddam’s regime despite appeals from those opposing theContinue reading “Realpolitik and the Syrian Conflict”