The news are inundated with boiling conflict points in the Middle East. RESOLVE brings a selection of articles that provide a deeper analysis and a broader context to current events. The readings highlight the potential resurgence of ISIS, the implications of refugee camps in Syria, the repatriation of foreign fighters, and the history of Syrian Kurds. In Afghanistan, the analyses focus on the regionalization of the conflict, and what it feels like to be on the ground amidst the fighting. Last, we look at past and present conflict dynamics in Iraq, current political and security challenges, Iranian presence and influence, and the remnants of war.

Abed, Fahim, and Fatima Faizi. “‘We Are Inside the Fire’: An Oral History of the War in Afghanistan” The New York Times, October 9, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/06/magazine/afghanistan-war-oral-history.html 

Al-Nidawi, Omar. “Checking Iranian Power in Iraq" War on the Rocks, October 3, 2019. https://warontherocks.com/2019/10/checking-iranian-power-in-iraq/ 

Barkey, Henri J. “The Kurdish Awakening: Unity, Betrayal, and the Future of the Middle East” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2019. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/turkey/2019-02-12/kurdish-awakening 

Clarke, Colin P. “The Terrorist Threat Posed by Neglect and Indifference” Foreign Policy Research Institute, September 19, 2019. https://www.fpri.org/article/2019/09/the-terrorist-threat-posed-by-neglect-and-indifference/ 

Crisis Group Report. “Averting an ISIS Resurgence in Iraq and Syria” International Crisis Group, October 11, 2019. https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/eastern-mediterranean/syria/207-averting-isis-resurgence-iraq-and-syria 

Ibrahimi, Niamatullah, and Shahram Akbarzadeh. “Intra-Jihadist Conflict and Cooperation: Islamic State–Khorasan Province and the Taliban in Afghanistan” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, January 7, 2019. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1057610X.2018.1529367 

Kaya, Zeynep, and Matthew Whiting. “Sowing Division: Kurds in the Syrian War” Middle East Policy Council, Spring 2017. https://www.mepc.org/journal/sowing-division-kurds-syrian-war 

Price, Roz. “Climate Change as a Driver of Conflict in Afghanistan and Other Fragile and Conflict Affected States” Institute of Development Studies. 18 January 2019. https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/14424 

Swanstrom, Niklas and Julian Tucker. “China in Afghanistan—a new force in the war in Afghanistan?” In: Rebuilding Afghanistan in Times of Crisis: A Global Response, ed. Adenrele Awotona, 2019. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=AwadDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT162&dq=afghanistan+conflict&ots=EZfGyEHsAb&sig=9ACe9FqhxgSzEUJ8kEWwz8clMBU#v=onepage&q=afghanistan%20conflict&f=false 

USIP Fact Sheet. “The Current Situation in Iraq” U.S. Institute of Peace, March 29, 2019. https://www.usip.org/publications/2019/03/current-situation-iraq 

Weine, Stevan, and Eric Rosand. “Repatriating ISIS Families: An Opportunity to Show that “Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism” Can Work” Just Security, June 14, 2019. https://www.justsecurity.org/64567/repatriating-isis-families-an-opportunity-to-show-that-preventing-and-countering-violent-extremism-can-work/ 

Zelin, Aaron Y. “Wilayat al-Hawl: 'Remaining' and Incubating the Next Islamic State Generation” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, October 2019. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/wilayat-al-hawl-remaining-and-incubating-the-next-islamic-state-generation