Rebranding Jihad: the Case of al-Qaeda in Syria

By Timothy Davis    While corporations routinely rebrand to increase sales or transition to a new business model, you may be surprised to find that rebranding can be so successful that even terrorist organizations do it.   In the past seven years, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, currently named Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has rebranded three…

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A UN Odyssey: In Pursuit of the Confidential Report on North Korea

This article is the first in a series “Essays from the Field,” which documents the professional journeys and accomplishments of YPFP New York members.   By Matthew Edwin Carpenter   My U.N. odyssey began in 2013, working for Japan’s premium media outlet. As a U.N. reporter, I had one mission, the holy grail of U.N.…

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YPFP Book Club: The Great Gamble

By Ian Kemp   The Soviet War in Afghanistan is often cast as the penultimate act of the Soviet Union as a superpower. In “The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan,” Gregory Feifer explores this pivotal event but also looks beyond the Cold War and provides insight into both the life of a soldier…

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Gendering US Foreign Policy in the Gulf

By Liza Kane-Hartnett   Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, recently completed a two week trip in the U.S., touting his reforms, enticing investors, and heralding the close relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia. While his reforms are welcome, they do not change the fundamental gender dynamics in the…

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Iraq’s Elections: Powder Keg or Post-Identity Politics

By Matt Cohen   On May 12, Iraq will hold parliamentary elections and continue its slow march towards normalcy after the devastating fight against ISIS. The election will occur in a fractured political landscape that has the potential to make or break Iraq’s political stability moving forward.   The election will select the Council of…

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