In light of wider Danish strategic priorities, Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard’s restrained reaction to Russia’s decision to target Danish military frigates with nuclear weapons was understandable. In a recent op-ed piece for the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, the Russian ambassador to Denmark, Mikhail Vanin, wrote that Danish warships would “become targets for Russian nuclear missiles” should […]
Archive | Security Issues
Taking a Russian Nuclear Threat on the Chin
Posted on April 1, 2015.
Posted in Conflict, Europe, Russia, Security Issues, World
Why Israel Is Losing the Public Relations War
Posted on March 28, 2015.
Almost everybody thinks badly of Israel. That’s what a poll published by the BBC World Service in 2014 shows. More precisely, Israel ranks as the fourth most negatively viewed nation, right after North Korea, Pakistan and Iran. What explains the differences between European and American views on Israel, and how does such an overall negative […]
Posted in Conflict, Economics, Israel, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, Middle East, Political Security, Security Issues, World
Is Iran Headed For Another Recession?
Posted on March 28, 2015.
Garnering over 50 percent of the vote, Hassan Rouhani assumed a decisive victory on June 2013 and became Iran’s new president after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s eight year long reign. Vowing to pull the country out of its sanction filled, depressed economy, he won the elections by a landslide. Less than three months ago, during a December […]
Posted in Economic Security, Economics, Global Economy, Iran, Middle East, Security Issues, World
Bibi Wins Re-election in Israel, But at What Cost?
Posted on March 28, 2015.
Incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won re-election. Under immense pressure, Netanyahu displayed his winner mentality and insatiable desire to govern Israel by seemingly pulling out all the stops to assure another Likud victory, but at what cost? First there was Netanyahu’s Republican-hosted speech to U.S. Congress where his apparent aim was to display […]
Posted in Conflict, Middle East, Security Issues, UN, US, World
Save TTIP or Risk the Alliance
Posted on March 25, 2015.
The European Union (EU) and the United States (U.S.) have been negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) since 2013. Intended to revive the transatlantic economies by eliminating tariffs and accepting various degrees of regulatory convergence or mutual recognition across a wide range of sectors, and solidify EU-U.S. relations, it now appears to be […]
Posted in Economic Security, Economics, Europe, Germany, Global Economy, Political Security, Security Issues, US, World
ISIS, Islam and Credulity: More Irreverence Needed in the Fight Against Extremism
Posted on March 15, 2015.
This week, King Abdullah of Jordan appealed to European parliamentarians to help root out both terrorism and ‘Islamophobia’. Setting aside this interesting conflation, the wholesale failure of Arab and majority Muslim countries to embody either mutual respect or inclusivity towards many of their ethno-religious minorities bespeaks of an imbalance in critical attention to how those […]
Posted in Europe, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, Political Security, Religion, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, World
NATO, Russia, and the Post-Cold War Settlement
Posted on March 12, 2015.
Eastern and Central European states lined up at the NATO application window after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And can anyone blame them after the events of the 20th century? They were, after all, victimized by the Molotov-Ribbentrop treaty, the German Invasion, and then the subsequent Soviet “liberation” and forty- five year occupation. Yet […]
Posted in Europe, Political Security, Security Issues, World
ISIS and The Illusion of Power
Posted on March 5, 2015.
It can be difficult to stay optimistic about peace while an atmosphere of gloom permeates the contemporary Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria. It is nearly impossible to watch the news without being inundated by provocative visuals of ISIS’s atavistic executions of U.S. journalists and perplexed by ISIS’s seemingly uncanny ability to recruit Westerners. […]
Posted in Conflict, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, Religion, Syria, Terrorism, US, World
Corruption and Violence Haunt Guatemala Ahead of Election
Posted on March 4, 2015.
One might say Guatemala is best known for its coffee, bananas and rampant violence. In September, Guatemala will face not only local and legislative, but also presidential elections offering, yet again, a glimmer of hope. Scheduled for September 13th, they will determine the new President and Vice President, members of Congress, the Central American Parliament, […]
Posted in Drugs, Food Security, Latin America, Security Issues, World
Khat Chewing – Benign Practice or Social Peril?
Posted on February 22, 2015.
A stimulant native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, Khat is a narcotic leaf that induces mild euphoria upon chewing – an extremely popular custom in Somalia, Yemen, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia. Lucrative business More than 25,000kg of khat is sold each day in Ethiopia’s Adaway Market and is a vital source of […]
Posted in Africa, Drugs, Economic Security, Food Security, Security Issues, World, Yemen
Mediterranean Migration Reveals Flaws in Dublin Convention
Posted on February 21, 2015.
John Donne famously reminded us that ‘no man is an island’. Likewise in today’s polycentric, ever-globalized, and interconnected world, no state can remain untouched by social, economic, or political influences from neighbouring states. As terrible as Islamic State has been for people living in Syria, Iraq and Libya, its effects on Europe are also increasingly being felt. […]
Posted in Africa, Conflict, Economic Security, Europe, Germany, Humanitarian Intervention, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, Refugees, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, UN, World
Russia and the West: How the Empathy Was Lost
Posted on February 20, 2015.
Last year I criticized some of the hawk-like voices, including that of David Brooks of the NYT, which were calling for Barack Obama to increase the fear factor in dealing with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. I should point out that I am decidedly not a fan of Putin, whose actions in Crimea and Ukraine have been reprehensible. However, we need […]
Posted in Conflict, Europe, Russia, Security Issues, Ukraine Conflict, Uncategorized, US, World
China’s Expanding African Military Footprint
Posted on February 17, 2015.
Sun Tzu, in his seminal book The Art of War, argued that all warfare is fundamentally based on deception. “When able to attack, we must seem unable; When using our forces, we must seem inactive; When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; When far away, we must make […]
Posted in Africa, Asia, China, Economic Security, Global Economy, Security Issues, World
Focus on Greece Ignores Need for German Economic Reform
Posted on February 16, 2015.
With Greek debt negotiations reaching a critical point, it may be time for a reminder that there are more problems within the eurozone than just southern European debt. Austerity rightly remains firmly in the headlines, but looking beyond the struggles in Athens reveals that economic changes may be needed further north. Indeed, while the new […]
Posted in Economic Security, Economics, Europe, Germany, Global Economy, World
Interesting Developments in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Posted on February 6, 2015.
There is a convenient falsehood every time a ceasefire agreement occurs and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict temporarily vanishes from the media. It is the assumption that the conflict has come to a halt and a diplomatic solution brokered by the United States is soon to follow. The truth is that the conflict does not stop, because the status […]
Posted in Conflict, Middle East, Security Issues, World
Nigeria Now
Posted on February 4, 2015.
‘173 million Nigerians and 68 million voting’ These figures may come as a surprise to some. Whilst it is true that this election cannot compare to the one in India last year, it is still much larger than most realize. The Nigerian electorate is larger than the entire French population. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s reputation precedes it. Despite officially […]
Posted in Africa, Islam, Security Issues, World
Colombia’s Rebel Reintegration Quagmire
Posted on February 1, 2015.
Colombia has endured more than five decades of civil discord. Peace negotiations between FARC representatives and the Colombian State have, though, been ongoing since 2012 as the country attempts to realise a future of security and peace. Yet it is the massive human toll that is perhaps the most potent issue to arise from this […]
Posted in Conflict, Drugs, Security Issues, World
Responsibility To Protect at Ten
Posted on January 27, 2015.
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine was agreed by UN member states in the 2005 World Outcome document. As we near the tenth anniversary of its adoption, how successful has it been? R2P replaces humanitarian intervention as a way in which the UN has justified state intervention. Implementation of R2P has come in 3 forms: i) […]
Posted in Conflict, Humanitarian Intervention, Iraq, Middle East, Security Issues, UN, World
Why Are Humanitarian Workers Targeted?
Posted on January 25, 2015.
Why are humanitarian workers targeted? On World Humanitarian Day this year the United Nations reported that in various conflict zones in 2013, 155 aid workers were killed, 171 were injured and 134 were taken as captives. We have to ask, what is the justification for such acts? Let us begin with the illegal occupation of […]
Posted in Humanitarian Intervention, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, Religion, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, UN, World
Living Ordinary Lives? European Muslims After Charlie Hebdo
Posted on January 24, 2015.
The tragedy of Charlie Hebdo has provoked an immense response from Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world. Almost all who have written about this issue have condemned the killings in Paris, equating them to other similar terrorist threats and attacks such as the Rushdie Affair and the 7/7 bombings in Britain, the 9/11 attacks, and […]
Posted in Europe, Islam, Religion, Security Issues, Terrorism, World
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Why Timor-Leste’s Choice of Portuguese Might be Right
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“Today’s Morocco is Not That of the Past”
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When Putsch Comes to Shove: A Historical Take on Trump’s Attack at the Capitol
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The Significance of the Morocco-Israel-US Deal for Regional Peace
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Undoing the GOP Manipulation of the Courts. What the US Can Learn From Germany
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