In India, melding religion and vocation;
Stories from Darzab;
The Taliban reverts to type...
;...as Beijing wades into the Afghan fray

New plans for naval modernization;
The end of the Russo-Israeli entente

Another blow to Soviet remembrance;
Moscow, Delhi draw closer on counterterrorism

Iran's unfolding currency crisis...;
...leaves Rouhani scrambling to stabilize the national economy;
Crisis and opportunity for Iran's "reformist" camp;
A mandate to stay in Syria;
Toward an "Arab NATO"

The war on terror now ranks as America's longest-running war. Yet, increasingly, the fight against terrorism has receded from the headlines, supplanted by acrimonious domestic politics and flashpoints like North Korea's nuclear program and trade disputes with China. Yet the war on terror still rages on — and the battlefield in that fight is changing significantly.

Who's in charge in Syria?;
Kyrgyzstan's jihadis;
The Taliban-ISIS war heats up;
Five year on, a brighter Egyptian security picture

Moscow's balancing act in Syria;
A reshuffle in Russia's regions

The perennial president;
Britain: a safe haven for Russian "dirty money"

Still more environmental woes...;
...prompt a predictable regime response;
Iran and Hezbollah as a hedge;
Iran's Baha'i under fire;
An Iranian hand in Palestinian turmoil;
Losing Iraq

Just how deep does Iran's influence run in Syria? After a half decade of overt and covert Iranian military assistance to the regime of Bashar al-Assad, the Iranian regime is widely understood to be playing a key role in the Syrian theater. But, according to a new study from the Omran Center for Strategic Studies, an Istanbul-based think tank focused on the Syrian conflict, this backing is far broader than commonly understood, and encompasses not just military assistance but also an extensive web of economic and political contacts that are designed to give the Iranian regime a lasting presence on the territory of its top regional ally.