Iraq on the brink

From Erbil to Tehran to New York, The National's correspondents bring you the lowdown on how the sudden and startling rise of the Islamic State - formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL - is changing the political landscape in the Middle East.

A member of the Kurdish security forces takes up his position guarding an oil refinery on the outskirts of Mosul on June 22, 2014. Azad Lashkari / Reuters

From Erbil to Tehran to New York, The National's correspondents will bring you the lowdown on how the sudden and startling rise of the Islamic State - formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL - is changing the political landscape in the Middle East.