Russia pushes ahead with the delivery of advanced surface-to-air missiles to the Assad regime (via Justin Bumstead). Why Syria’s rebels believe they need their own anti-air missile systems.
Al Qaeda, unpopular with many Syrians who see them as foreigners seeking only to impose Islamic law, tries a classic public relations move: ice cream.
Egyptian security forces open fire on Islamist protesters, killing dozens. An Egyptian doctor treating the injured details the police’s escalation. Foreign Policy collects photos of the violence.
And when do regimes use live fire against demonstrators, and what does this type of violence tell us?
In Afghanistan, the Taliban, looming US withdrawal, and “a jihad which has no clear end.”
Citing their mutual interests, Jeffrey Payne urges American-Chinese cooperation in Afghanistan in the post-2014 era.
Checking in on Mexican President Peña Nieto’s anti-cartel strategy.
New polling finds that worldwide men are more likely to support US drone strikes than women. Alexis Madrigal examines this gender gap.