Libya is once again in the news as the collapse of the country continues apace.  Two weeks ago, the U.S. and other nations evacuated their diplomatic corps from the capital of Tripoli while fighting raged across the city and militants assaulted the international airport.   The weak central government in Tripoli has been incapable of stopping the violence; the parliament itself is being forced to hold sessions away from the capital. 

With the American intervention against Islamic State (IS) forces in Iraq, the internet has been flooded with threats against the US. On social media, jihadists are promising that "Iraq is a grave" for U.S. forces, posting pictures of dead soldiers, and calling on "Muslim brothers there to start firing and burning every possible target."

How worried should Americans and other Westerners be? Just as importantly, does the situation in Iraq affect US security? In other words, is this our problem or their problem?

As the United States begins airstrikes on Islamic State (IS) targets in northern Iraq, jihadists have called for attacks on American interests at home and abroad.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), operating under the name "Ansar al-Shariah," claimed concurrent raids on camps of Yemeni security forces in the cities of Qatn and Sayun in Hadramawt province, and claimed the ambush of soldiers in Shabwa.

Earlier, I posted on the declaration by the Islamic State (IS)—formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)—of a Caliphate that included territory in both Iraq and Syria.  The post made several points about this momentous event, including the real potential for resistance from both ordinary Iraqis and other militant groups.  As I noted then, everywhere that IS has attempted to implement their extremist version of shari’a on ordinary Muslims who do not support or affirm IS’s vision for the future of Islam, have fought against the militants.