March 16, 2010
United KingdomThe provisional Irish Republican Army, or IRA, is an outgrowth of an older group known as the Irish Republican Army, which fought an insurgency that successfully challenged British rule in the whole …
August 27, 2009
Terrorism and CounterterrorismAn overview of Peruvian terrorist groups, Shining Path and Tupac Amaru.
November 5, 2008
IraqA profile of a militant Islamist Kurdish separatist movement seeking to transform Iraq into an Islamic state.
November 9, 2015
AsiaChina, India, and Pakistan have relatively small but growing nuclear arms programs. This nuclear competition is raising concern because of long-simmering tensions and a lack of efforts at minimizing …
June 19, 2015
YemenAl-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has emerged as one of the most dangerous al-Qaeda affiliates, strengthening amid political unrest in Yemen.
March 13, 2014
Nonproliferation, Arms Control, and DisarmamentSarin, one of the world’s most lethal chemical weapons, has long been stockpiled but is rarely used by states or terrorists. Allegations of attacks on civilians in Syria, if substantiated, would repr…
March 7, 2013
ReligionThe election of pope to lead the world’s one billion Catholics stirs debate over the spiritual authority of the pontiff and the church’s role in the world.
October 27, 2010
AfghanistanThe war in Afghanistan hasn’t been a major campaign issue even as public support for it has waned. This Backgrounder examines political backing for the war.
June 24, 2010
International OrganizationsThe G20 meetings in Toronto will be marked by competing agendas on global growth and financial regulations. This Backgrounder looks at the range of policy concerns.
May 6, 2009
PakistanPresident Obama has made "strategic communications" an essential part of his move to boost the military and nation-building effort in Afghanistan. But experts say countering Taliban messaging will ta…