July 10, 2015 I recently returned from Afghanistan where I was a guest lecturer for the Swiss UMEF University, located in Kabul. During my time there, I gave many lectures on leadership, a fascinating and ever-changing topic. Philosophies, opinions and practices of leadership vary. The pragmatic side of leadership is also ever-present as people try … Continue reading My World – My Leadership: Global Perspectives on Leadership
April 17, 2015 Today ISIS claimed responsibility for a car bombing near the U.S. consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Yesterday, ISIS took over the eastern part of the city of Ramadi, in Iraq’s Anbar province. Families with children could be seen carrying whatever they could, fleeing the city looking for safety in … Continue reading ISIS Advances: How Islamic is the Islamic State?
By Phil Johnson, Ph.D. (with special assistance from Ary Rasool) March 21, 2015 Today is Kurdish Newroz - a celebration of the Kurdish New Year. This year, the celebration coincides with yesterday’s release of a graphic video produced by ISIS showing the brutal beheadings of three Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers. At least fourteen other soldiers are still … Continue reading ISIS: The Kurdish Factor
March 2, 2015 I just finished a leadership conference in Germany and Italy and arrived in Paris last night- a place that was awash in terror on January 7th when the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine was attacked. Two days later, a kosher (Jewish) market in the south-eastern area of Paris was … Continue reading Paris: The Charlie Hebdo Effect Still Lingers
February 6, 2015 Over the last couple of weeks, ISIS (Islamic State) has continued to make headlines by gaining territory in Syria, decapitating two Japanese journalists and releasing a highly-produced video showing the burning alive of Jordanian pilot, Muath al-Kassasbeh. In addition, a report released on Wednesday by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of … Continue reading ISIS: Fire and the Healing of the Believer’s Chest
October 9, 2014 Regardless as to the US-led airstrikes which began several weeks ago, ISIS remains on the march. As I write this, the strategic town of Kobani, on Syria’s border with Turkey, is under siege. It seems likely now that Kobani will fall to ISIS - and Turkey seems to sit on the border with … Continue reading The ISIS Threat: As Viewed from Neighboring Lebanon
June 9, 2014 Americans and the media have been buzzing this past week about the latest issue in Obama’s attempt to manage America’s foreign policy and end the war in Afghanistan while not completely ruining his political career in the process. Here’s what happened: US soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, was held prisoner by the Taliban in Afghanistan … Continue reading FIVE FOR ONE: The Taliban Prisoner Trade Issue
January 15, 2014 Well, it’s only January, but it’s time to do a quick update on what’s going on in the Middle East. There are four issues that deserve our attention. DEAL WITH IRAN The West struck a landmark deal with Iran over their nuclear program. Under the deal, Iran has agreed to cap the … Continue reading MIDDLE EAST UPDATE: Iran, Libya, Iraq and Egypt
On October 5th the US conducted two raids to capture high-value targets in Africa, one in Libya and the other in Somalia. The raid in Somalia netted nothing, but the incursion in Libya turned up Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, aka Abu Anas al-Libi - who was arrested and is apparently on the USS San Antonio being … Continue reading Al-Qaeda Terrorist Captured Instead of “Droned.” Why the Shift in US Strategy?
It’s the 12th anniversary of 9/11 - a dozen years have passed. 9/11 has definitively changed the world and the way people look at safety, security, terrorism, radicalism and how nations interact with one another and against one another. But today is also the one year anniversary of another event: The murder of US Ambassador … Continue reading Benghazi: One Year Out
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