David Petraeus

A deal with the Taliban is the best chance the US has of extracting itself from the morass in Afghanistan. But ensuring the country does not become a failed state yet again will require US support.

Donald Trump named retired four-star Marine Gen. John Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security. If confirmed by the Senate, Kelly would join retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as defense secretary and retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser.

Imagine the foes of fracking and you’d probably put Greenpeace at the top of the list. But add Vladimir Putin too — someone who rarely sees eye-to-eye with the environmentalists. But he has his own reasons, not tied to saving the Earth. Meanwhile, there’s tension over US military actions in Iraq. Those stories and more in today’s Global Scan.Imagine the foes of fracking and you’d probably put Greenpeace at the top of the list. But add Vladimir Putin too — someone who rarely sees eye-to-eye with the environmentalists. But he has his own reasons, not tied to saving the Earth. Meanwhile, there’s tension over US military actions in Iraq. Those stories and more in today’s Global Scan.

The crisis in Iraq presents few good options to US policy makers. The President is consulting with Congress on the possibility of air strikes, which Iraq has now formally requested. But at least one former policy maker argues you can’t intervene in Iraq without intervening in Syria.

The crisis in Iraq presents few good options to US policy makers. The President is consulting with Congress on the possibility of air strikes, which Iraq has now formally requested. But at least one former policy maker argues you can’t intervene in Iraq without intervening in Syria.