Al-Qaeda appears set to make a comeback in Pakistan, with battle-hardened militants returning from Syria and Iraq returning to the country.

Whatever nuanced statements one might hear these days from officials in Washington, London, Paris, Riyadh or Ankara, the reality is that none of those governments now seek the removal of Assad, nor do they even see that as possible.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s democratic future and stability is at risk, and one party and family is especially closely linked to the crisis.

Col. David B. Des Roches, Associate Professor at NDU's Near East - South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, joins host Paul Salem for a discussion of the U.S. military's strategic considerations in Iraq and Syria as the war against ISIS winds down, its approach to countering Iran's influence throughout the region, and how it is responding to the G.C.C. crisis.

Iran and Turkey have pursued divergent policies in Iraq and continue to support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war. In recent months, however, the two non-Arab Middle Eastern powers have taken steps to narrow their differences and accommodate each other’s interests and concerns to a certain extent.

Al-Qaeda appears set to make a comeback in Pakistan, with battle-hardened militants returning from Syria and Iraq returning to the country.

Whatever nuanced statements one might hear these days from officials in Washington, London, Paris, Riyadh or Ankara, the reality is that none of those governments now seek the removal of Assad, nor do they even see that as possible.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s democratic future and stability is at risk, and one party and family is especially closely linked to the crisis.

Col. David B. Des Roches, Associate Professor at NDU's Near East - South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, joins host Paul Salem for a discussion of the U.S. military's strategic considerations in Iraq and Syria as the war against ISIS winds down, its approach to countering Iran's influence throughout the region, and how it is responding to the G.C.C. crisis.

Iran and Turkey have pursued divergent policies in Iraq and continue to support opposing sides in the Syrian civil war. In recent months, however, the two non-Arab Middle Eastern powers have taken steps to narrow their differences and accommodate each other’s interests and concerns to a certain extent.