Henry Johnson is a fellow at Foreign Policy. He has previously written for LobeLog and graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a degree in history.
An Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighter fires at Islamic-State (IS) militant positions, from his position on the top of Mount Zardak, a strategic point taken 3 days ago, about 25 kilometres east of Mosul on September 9,2014. Kurdish forces in the north have been bolstered by US strikes and took control of Mount Zardak, a strategic site that provides a commanding view of the surrounding area, a senior US officer said. AFP PHOTO/ JM LOPEZ (Photo credit should read JM LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
POHANG, SOUTH KOREA - MARCH 12: U.S. Marines from 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, Battalion landing team deployed from Okinawa, Japan participate in the U.S. and South Korean Marines joint landing operation at Pohang seashore on March , 12, 2016 in Pohang, South Korea. It has been reported by South Korean media that the scale of this annual joint exercise is one of the largest in the past. (Photo by )
PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 10, 2015: An Air France Airbus A380 aircraft is towed toward the runway at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. The A380 is the world's largest commercial passenger aircraft. (Photo by
A Siberian Tiger rests on a log in its enclosure at the zoo in Muenster, western Germany, on August 18, 2014. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ (Photo credit should read )
Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic appears in the courtroom for his appeals judgement at the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, The Netherlands, on July 11 2013. AFP PHOTO/ POOL/MICHAEL KOOREN (Photo credit should read )
A Yemeni Jew (C) arrives to an immigration centre in the Israeli city of Beersheba on March 21, 2016 following a secret rescue operation to evacuate a group of 19 Jews from war-torn Yemen to Israel.
Israel has spirited 19 Jews out of war-torn Yemen in a "covert operation" to rescue some of the last remnants of one of the world's most ancient Jewish communities, officials said. The operation transporting them to Israel almost brings to an end the Jewish community in Yemen, which once numbered around 60,000 people and dates back some 2,000 years.
/ AFP / MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read
WAT DHAMMAKAYA, BANGKOK, THAILAND - 2011/03/29: The faithful gather during a mass Buddhist ordination ceremony. More than 20,000 Buddhist novice monks gathered to offer prayers for world peace. In Thailand men are expected to become a Buddhist monk at least once in their life. (Photo by )
UENO, JAPAN: An authentic master of ninjutsu martial art, Kazuki Ukita poses in Ninja costume at the Ninja museum's Ninja residence in the small ancient city of Ueno 08 April 2002. South African national football team selected its base camp in Ueno city, Mie Prefecture for upcoming FIFA 2002 World Cup Korea/Japan. South Africa will play Spain, Slovenia and Paraguay in Group B in the first round of the World Cup. AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA (Photo credit should read )
Serbian nationalist politician Vojislav Seselj (R) surrounded by his supporters holds a burning NATO flag during an anti-government rally on March 24, 2015, in front of the building of the former federal Interior Ministry in Belgrade, which was destroyed during the 1999 NATO air campaign against Serbia and Montenegro. AFP PHOTO / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC (Photo credit should read )
TEHRAN, IRAN - FEBRUARY 28: A posture featuring the picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is passed by Iranian women outside Ali Zakani's main campaign headquarters on February 28, 2012 inTehran, Iran. Campaigning began in Iran on February 23 for the parliamentary elections due to take place on March 2, the first national poll since 2009, when the voters will chose lawmakers (known as the Majlis) for the 290 seats in the parliament. (Photo by )
Heavy traffic is seen during a smoggy day in New Delhi on November 30, 2015. Some 150 leaders including US President Barack Obama, China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the start of the Paris conference on climate change, which starts on November 30, tasked with reaching the first truly universal climate pact. AFP PHOTO / Money SHARMA / AFP / MONEY SHARMA (Photo credit should read )
