Even with the U.S. lending a hand from the air, local forces might not be strong enough to hold ISIS at bay on the ground.

Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki has lost the support of both the Iranians and Ayatollah Sistani. Now down to only his die-hard supporters, can he stay in office?

The Iraqi Prime Minister accused the Kurds of harboring ISIS terrorists, in the latest of a series of ugly speeches. But there’s nothing Baghdad can do to prevent an independent Kurdistan.

ISIS now controls trade routes vital to Iraq’s economy. This augurs ill for Iraq and the region as a whole.

The Iranians, like the Russians, have sent jets to Iraq. Is the world starting to take advantage of President Obama’s apparent need for time as he makes foreign policy decisions?

Russia sent jets and experts to Iraq. As America dithers, does Russia see an opening for a new Shiite alliance?

Turkey moved to subdue its long-running ethnic conflict on Thursday, and Israel joined it in reaching out to Iraqi Kurdistan. There may be at least one potential beneficiary from the chaos in Iraq.

Fearing U.S.-Iran cooperation on a clean-up effort in Iraq, Saudi Arabia is warning foreign powers to stay put and stay out.

Terrified by the conflagration in Iraq, ordinary Iranians have taken to cheering the Revolutionary Guard—which ruthlessly put down the protests of 2009. As fear sweeps the region, the likelihood of an all-out religious war only grows.

The Kurds now stand as perhaps the most coherent and powerful force in Iraq, and they will probably elect to form their own state. Turkey may well be backing them. What then will Washington do?