At a lonely army outpost in 1994, Israel was shown the difference between radicals and fanatics—and between soldiers and storytellers. But the West didn’t learn.

The creation of a well-armed, autonomous, and perhaps ultimately independent Druze region in southern Syria may be the West’s best chance at stemming the spread of radical Islamism

Italian Giovanni Lo Porto also killed while captive in Pakistan

An excerpt from ‘Double Bind’ questions the logic of ‘One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’

The United States sees an ally in a regime that is too predatory—and too weak—to be a reliable foreign-policy partner

Shin Bet reportedly arrested three men in connection with the ‘advanced’ plan

In fighting a mutual enemy—Sunni militants—with Tehran’s support, the Obama Administration risks alienating Sunni allies

A round-up of things we wish weren’t rounding up

Thanks to outside forces waging a proxy battle in Syria, 2013 has become a year of attrition rather than endgames

Fortunately, Iron Dome knocked the down missile

At a cost of $75 million, new fortifications stand as physical reminders that peace in the north is further away than ever

A new book sheds light on the complicated conflicts among Jews, Christians, and pagans in the pre-Islamic Middle East

The U.S. refuses to arm rebel groups. Now, an al-Qaida affiliate has emerged as one of the strongest factions.

Plus a round up on condemnations on Libyan

Wanted Women, a new joint biography of two Muslim women, refuses to distinguish between an al-Qaida terrorist and a feminist intellectual