Afghanistan and Iraq were lumped together in what was called a 'global war on terrorism.' — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
For many foreign fighters, the jihad in Iraq and Syria is a commuter war. — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
The truth was, there was never a connection between Iraq and Osama Bin Laden. There were no weapons of mass destruction, either. — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
The U.S. presence and American missteps made ethnic violence in Iraq far worse than it would have been otherwise after Saddam Saddam… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
For decades, Saddam and his Sunni minority had imposed their will on Iraq, carrying on a 14-century tradition of Sunnis controlling Mesopotamia… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
Iraq was home of the Abbasid Caliphate, a golden age when the Muslim world was at the forefront of math, science and… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
Initially, before the modern state of Iraq was created, there were three separate provinces here: a Shiite in the south, a largely… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
For years, Lebanese have known that Palestinian camps like Nahr al-Barid and Ain al-Helwe - hopeless slums crowded with generations of disenfranchised… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
In October 2008, American commandos launched a cross-border raid into Syria to capture an Islamic militant known as Abu Ghadiya. He was… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
On one level, bombing ISIS is easy. The U.S. knows where the group operates. There's no need for a ten-year hunt like… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
Women, who enjoyed a high social status and levels of education under Saddam, saw terrible setbacks as Iraq fell into civil war.… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
The Syrian border town of Qa'im was the main gateway Islamic radicals used to go to Iraq. Syria became the passageway for… — Richard Engel Copy Share Image
The Syrians are better suited to sort out their internal divisions than anyone else. — Richard Engel Copy Share
Osama Bin Laden is dead. Killed not by a massive troop deployment but by a commando raid carried out by a few dozen highly… — Richard Engel Copy Share
Anyone who follows the Middle East and Islamic world in general can't deny it is often a very violent place, that a band of… — Richard Engel Copy Share
An Egyptian newspaper once publicly identified me as the C.I.A. station chief in Cairo. It seemed so stupid at the time. I was only… — Richard Engel Copy Share
Israel is becoming a fortress. Fences along the borders with Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. — Richard Engel Copy Share
Every country where the the United States maintains troops has a status of forces agreement. — Richard Engel Copy Share
There are many Israelis who are not keen on Barack Obama - they did not want to see him elected. — Richard Engel Copy Share
If you're in part of rebel-controlled Syria, and suddenly your house blows up or a building next to you blows up, it would be… — Richard Engel Copy Share
Every child is taught if you try to please everyone, you end up upsetting everyone. — Richard Engel Copy Share
There weren't many weapons in Egypt in the 1990s. Police controls on guns were very strict back then. That is no longer the case… — Richard Engel Copy Share
Bin Laden is dead, and most of his friends are dead. But did it need to cost a trillion dollars and two land wars,… — Richard Engel Copy Share
Many senior government officials, CIA, FBI, counter terrorism officials - when they look back at the decade, they effectively conclude that the United States… — Richard Engel Copy Share
Many governments are quick to condemn Assad, but a dwindling number of them would celebrate a rebel victory in Damascus. — Richard Engel Copy Share
