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Omar Ashour

Omar Ashour

27 commentaries

Omar Ashour, Professor of Security and Military Studies and Founder of the Security Studies Programs at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, is the author of How ISIS Fights: Military Tactics in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Egypt (Edinburgh University Press, 2021).

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  1. Why ISIS Attacked Russia – and Why Russia Blames Ukraine
    ahour28_STRINGERAFP via Getty Images_crocus STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images

    Why ISIS Attacked Russia – and Why Russia Blames Ukraine

    Mar 25, 2024 Omar Ashour considers how Vladimir Putin, an exemplary cynic, could capitalize on the carnage at Crocus City Hall.

  2. A Game Changer for Syria?
    Syria gas attack Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    A Game Changer for Syria?

    Apr 12, 2017 Omar Ashour thinks the Trump administration's recent missile strike hurt Russia more than the Assad regime.

  3. Syria’s Balance of Terror
    Syrian women hang laundry in Aleppo George Ourfalian/Stringer

    Syria’s Balance of Terror

    Feb 20, 2017 Omar Ashour believes foreign meddling and shifting alliances will derail even the best-intentioned ceasefire.

  4. The Islamic State’s European Strategy
    ashour25_ludovic marin_AFP_Getty Images_eiffel flag Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

    The Islamic State’s European Strategy

    Sep 1, 2016 Omar Ashour explains why ISIS is singling out France and Turkey for its terror campaign in Europe.

  5. Egypt’s Security Harvest
    ashour24_Khaled Desouki_Stringer_Egypt Military Khaled Desouki/ Stringer

    Egypt’s Security Harvest

    Jul 11, 2016 Omar Ashour chronicles the declining faith in civil resistance – and rising violence – since the 2013 coup.

  1. norrlof9_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_trump Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Tariff Man’s Risky Bet

    Carla Norrlöf

    In betting that the economic fallout from his sweeping new tariffs will be worth the gains in border security, US President Donald Trump is gambling with America’s long-term influence and prosperity. In the future, more countries will have even stronger reasons to try to reduce their reliance on the United States.

    thinks Donald Trump's trade policies will undermine the very goals they aim to achieve.
  2. parke2_Odd AndersenGettyImages_nihon_hidankyo_nobel Odd Andersen/Getty Images

    The Case for Abolishing Nuclear Weapons

    Melissa Parke calls for eliminating arsenals to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
  3. acemoglu83_Anna BarclayGetty Images_deepseek Anna Barclay/Getty Images

    A Sputnik Moment for AI?

    Daron Acemoglu

    While America’s AI industry arguably needed shaking up, the news of a Chinese startup beating Big Tech at its own game raises some difficult questions. Fortunately, if US tech leaders and policymakers can take the right lessons from DeepSeek's success, we could all end up better for it.

    considers what an apparent Chinese breakthrough means for the US tech industry, and innovation more broadly.
  4. ronde1_PhotosbypatrikGettyImages_apps Photosbypatrik/Getty Images

    Danish Media’s United Stand Against Big Tech

    Karen Rønde urges all publishers to bargain collectively to secure the fair compensation quality journalism requires.
  5. ito44_ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDSAFP via Getty Images_IwayaRubio Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

    East Asia Braces for Trump 2.0

    Takatoshi Ito warns America’s key regional allies to be prepared to make concessions to the new US administration.
  6. franks1_Tafadzwa UfumeliGettyImages_zimbabwe_lithium_mine Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images

    Africa Needs Mineral Security, Too

    Daniel M. Franks & Rüya Perincek highlight the necessity of building local value chains tailored to the continent’s economic realities.
  7. elsayedali1_Picture AllianceGettyImages_data_center_wires Picture Alliance/Getty Images

    Mitigating AI’s Climate Costs

    Sherif Elsayed-Ali proposes ways to realize the technology’s potential while mitigating its massive carbon footprint.
  8. naim2_CHANDAN KHANNAAFP via Getty Images_USvenezuela Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

    What Does Trump 2.0 Mean for Venezuela?

    Moisés Naím thinks the Maduro regime’s fate – and the country’s future – will be largely shaped by US policymakers.
  9. nye266_Apu GomesGetty Images_LAfires Apu Gomes/Getty Images

    Does Globalization Have a Future?

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. worries that we will end up with only harmful long-distance dependencies, rather than beneficial ones.

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