Archive | Security Issues

2011_Bahraini_uprising_-_March_(214)

Qatar’s Actions Destabilize Bahrain and Gulf Region

Grievances between Qatar and much of the rest of Middle East go back decades and help explain the schism that burst into the open recently and led to the widespread boycott of Qatar. Take the case of bad blood between Bahrain and Qatar. Bahrain is still angered over Qatar’s attempts to use its vast funds […]

Read the full story

Posted in Conflict, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, World

14629654085_0682719a18_z

Angola’s August Elections Come Under Scrutiny After Journalist Arrests

Rumblings are rife in Angola that something is afoot at the highest reaches of government. What may be in the offing? Everything from a top-level government shakeup to a full-fledged coup have been talked about. To keen observers of politics and conflict, it would not be surprising if people in power took sudden actions to […]

Read the full story

Posted in Africa, corruption, Political Security, World

Not Your Grandfather’s Battlefield: Artificial Intelligence and the Military

The US military is on the cusp of a fundamental transformation in how it operates on the battlefield due, in large part, to advances in artificial intelligence (AI).   Although the use of AI by the military has drawn criticism — based mostly on concerns over robots potentially making life and death decisions — over the […]

Read the full story

Posted in Security Issues, Technology, World

33399606664_4975b348d3_z

Green Politics in the Age of Populism

Who will provide strong and stable leadership on the environment? Following May’s shock election announcement there has only been one issue on the agenda for both the media and political parties themselves: Brexit. One worrying effect of our preoccupation with constitutional issues is that green politics have been ignored. Despite Green Party gains in the […]

Read the full story

Posted in Environmental Security, World

Image by Asitimes

America’s Allies in Eurasia Face a Common Foe in Russia

By Eugen Iladi It’s no secret that Russia is using military means and disinformation to try to reassemble its Soviet Union footprint. Ukraine has drawn the most headlines in this effort. But the Kremlin has long been working its land-grab plan in Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan. Russia’s economic failure and social challenges in the 21st […]

Read the full story

Posted in Conflict, Europe, Political Security, Russia, Ukraine Conflict, US, World

Image by Duarte JH

Assessing the Impact of Independence On Scottish Agriculture

The UK’s vote last year to leave the EU has resulted in Scotland once again re-evaluating whether or not independence would be in its best interests. The Brexit decision and the subsequent triggering of Article 50 have both generated significant political upheaval throughout the UK. In a recent speech, Nicola Sturgeon has added to that turmoil […]

Read the full story

Posted in Economic Security, Food Security, Scottish Independence, UK News, World

HRH The Queen meets deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at private audience in Hillsborough Castle this evening.
Photo by Aaron McCracken/Harrisons

Martin McGuinness and the Not so Uncommon Transition from Terrorist to Statesman

With the death of Martin McGuinness, the former Provisional IRA senior commander  turned peace-maker and Deputy First Minister, one is struck that such a transition was simultaneously, impressive and outrageous. I had the opportunity of meeting McGuinness last January when I interviewed him. I was struck by his warmth and generosity in taking time out […]

Read the full story

Posted in Conflict, Europe, Security Issues, Terrorism, UK News, World

Official Opening of the Permanent Premises of the International Criminal Court

Are Notions of Retributive Justice Helpful?

The International Criminal Court and its perception of justice being achieved through trial, conviction and imprisonment shows a notion of retributive justice, a notion that may have limited effectiveness in the context of Uganda and the case of Dominic Ongwen. With the trial of former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) Commander Dominic Ongwen currently ongoing, the […]

Read the full story

Posted in Africa, Conflict, World

Brussels_after_the_attacks_(11)

In Defence of Belgian Counterterror Policy

On March 22nd 2016 the two consecutive bombings at the Brussels’ Zaventem airport and the Maalbeek metro station brought Belgian counterterrorism policy under heavy scrutiny. With the Paris attacks foreshadowing an impending threat, the Belgian security alert had been raised to critical levels since November 2015. Yet in spite of warnings from numerous countries, the […]

Read the full story

Posted in Europe, European Union, Security Issues, Terrorism, World

African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Raising the Bar for Collective Action in Africa

While the West seems hell-bent on withdrawing from the global stage and focusing instead on domestic issues, recent developments in Africa point to the continent pulling in the other direction: towards concerted action and deeper integration. The firm response from the Economic Union of West African States (ECOWAS) to the Gambian president’s refusal to accept […]

Read the full story

Posted in Africa, Security Issues, UN, World

A flag flies in the wreckage of the World Trade Centers, September 15, 2001.

A Thought for September 12

My seventeen-year-old brother doesn’t remember 9/11 – but it’s a day my country can’t forget. Nor should it. Many “millennials,” myself included, will only have vague memories of the day itself and the outpouring of patriotism that followed. Every year, we are reminded of the men and women that died so needlessly and so courageously […]

Read the full story

Posted in Conflict, Security Issues, Terrorism, US

Expression in Istanbul - 1

Enemies of Expression in Istanbul

Turkey has a history of strict censorship which still remains a prominent issue in modern day Istanbul and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Media censorship is at an all time high with 140 press censorship cases already known in the country, newspapers have been shut down and journalists imprisoned. Now censorship is spreading to the […]

Read the full story

Posted in Culture, Europe, Middle East, Political Security, Turkey, World

'Small footprint, high payoff': US Marine team trains Ugandan forces to face al-Shabaab

Kony 2016: Ugandan Pullout a Big Win for LRA

In 2012 a 30 minute documentary about a rebel leader in Uganda set the internet alight. KONY 2012 brought to the public view the gruesome activities of Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony and his kidnapping of young children. While the campaign itself was short lived, the Bush and later Obama administrations had already pledged […]

Read the full story

Posted in Africa, Conflict, UN, World

27375651702_08c1ee157d_b

From Brexit to Breakup: a Scottish View on the EU Referendum

CC Image courtesy of Rareclass This piece was also published in Huffington Post on 23rd June 2016 Something we in Scotland learned the hard way in 2014 is that referendum questions are dangerous because they make both choices on the ballot paper seem equally plausible. By giving the people a choice we somehow assume that […]

Read the full story

Posted in Europe, European Union, Germany, Global Economy, Refugees, Scottish Independence, UK News, World

Image by Alec Ross (Alecross.com) [CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Exclusive: Hillary Clinton’s Former Tech Guru on Cyber Threats and Trump ‘The Monster’

There are few people who can lay claim to having shaped how the world’s only superpower uses modern technology, but Alec Ross is one of those few. Having played a critical role in developing then Senator Barack Obama’s technology and innovation plan during the 2008 presidential campaign, Ross went on to serve as senior innovation advisor to […]

Read the full story

Posted in Cyber Threats, Technology, US, World

Image by US Government Work

Interview: A Diplomatic View – From the Middle East to Obama’s U.K. Trip

I sat down with the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.K., Minister Elizabeth Dibble, to discuss the Obama visit, the Middle East and the complex Iran-Saudi relationship. The Obama Visit to the U.K. D.M.: You touched on President Obama’s visit in your talk and what he said about the EU referendum. What for […]

Read the full story

Posted in Conflict, Interviews, Iran, Israel, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Middle East, Political Security, Saudi Arabia, Security Issues, Syria, US, World, Yemen

Secure fencing surrounds the Detention Center on Christmas Island, Australia. In 2015 some 150 male asylum seekers to Australia were being held here.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: On the History and Legality of Detention Centres

It’s official: Australia’s “Stop the Boats” campaign is a success. Or so the government claims. Back in 2013, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott ascended to his post in part because of his pledge to “stop the boats,” or, in less catchy rhetoric, to prevent asylum seekers – mostly arriving by sea from the Middle East […]

Read the full story

Posted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Conflict, Europe, Iran, Political Security, Refugees, Syria, UN, World

A memorial to the slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated here 27 February 2015 outside the walls of the Kremlin. Image by Marco Fieber.

Repression, It’s the Law

  Vladimir Putin’s Russia has, especially in recent years, come under heavy criticism from many in the West. Much of this criticism, however, deals with Russian aggression toward Ukraine, the extrajudicial killings of critics of the Putin regime such as Alexander Litvinenko, or accusations of widespread corruption. All of these issues are clearly in violation […]

Read the full story

Posted in Europe, Political Security, Russia, Security Issues, World

By U.S. Department of State

Shaping Safety: How Architects Can Build a Stronger Peace

  I take my home for granted. There, I said it. Chances are you do, too, if your conception of home – like mine – does not include worrying about the daily dangers of a civil war playing out on your doorstep; the mortar shelling that has left your family homeless; or the stability of […]

Read the full story

Posted in Conflict, Humanitarian Intervention, Iraq, Middle East, Refugees, Security Issues, Syria, World

Image by Abode of Chaos

Should We Empathize With Extremists?

When U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggested in a recent Security Council speech that an Israeli drive to build settlements beyond its territory partly fueled Palestinian extremism, it drew ire from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “There is no justification for terror,” responded Netanyahu. “The comments of the U.N. Secretary-General encourage terror.” In the epochal ‘war […]

Read the full story

Posted in Islam, Israel, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Middle East, Religion, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, World

Donate to Global Politics

The team of academics and students who work at Global Politics do so on a voluntary basis. If you like our content please consider making a donation to help meet the increasingly high running costs of the site.




Privacy Policy

To learn more about how Global Politics uses cookies please refer to our Privacy Policy.