Afghan Peace Process
If the news from Doha is true, peace is closer than ever. At 29 Jun 2019, the U.S. and the Taliban came together for the seventh round of discussions which will hopefully bring an end to the 18-year-long war between U.S.-led coalition and the Taliban. According to the...
Book Review: Energy Kingdoms
“Energy Kingdoms” is written by Jim Krane, an expert who spent considerable time actually living in the Gulf. The book analyzes; the drivers behind the Gulf States’ domestic energy policies, the internal consumption problem that came out as a result of these policies...
Escalation of Crisis Between LNA and Turkish Government
Already strained relations between LNA and Turkish Government gradually escalated to an open hostility after statements and actions from both sides since Friday. This means a new crisis in the MENA, which is already on tenterhooks with current Iran-USA tension. As a...
NATO Prepares for the Absence of INF Treaty
Background Euromissile crisis of the mid-1970s, which had started with Soviet Union`s deployment of newly-developed SS-20 intermediate-range missiles instead of intermediate-range SS-4 and SS-5 missiles, had led to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty....
Cocked&Loaded: New US Foreign Policy
Fatih Celenay*, Onur Sultan** Introduction International society has been watching a duel of words and actions between Iran and US since May 2018 when President Trump declared the US would unilaterally withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or...
Recruiting Strategies in Studies about Radicalization and Extremism
Abstract Today radicalization and extremism are the two salient issues facing the policymakers in most of the countries. However, it is difficult to say that there is a consensus on the definition of radicalization. The lack of a common definition creates big...
Yemen’s peace process is almost dead. Here’s how to revive it.
Nearly six months since the so-called Stockholm agreement was signed by Yemen’s warring parties in an effort to prevent a deepening humanitarian crisis, any semblance of progress is almost dead. The agreement, signed on Dec. 13, stipulates the redeployment of forces...
Globalizing the INF Treaty
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is worth preserving and expanding. In August, the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between Russia and the United States will terminate unless both sides can resolve their differences over the...
The Fifth 30 When NATO is at 70
NATO responded to Russian intervention in Ukraine by launching several initiatives in multiple domains. One of them is the NATO Readiness Initiative. As part of a broad deterrence and defence related measures, Allies will make available ‘additional 30 major naval...
The United Nations in Yemen .. A failure or a conspiracy?
The anti-United Nations campaign - and talk about its dubious role in Yemen - has become increasingly popular recently. This coincides with claims of conspiracy, a rhetoric mostly used by the helpless party in an indirect attempt to justify self-insufficiency. Calls...
Why the Houthi drone strikes targeted Saudi oil facilities
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are not just Iran’s proxies On May 14, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen launched multiple drone strikes against Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities. These drone strikes targeted a major oil pipeline located just west of Riyadh and sparked fears of...
Resurrected Great Game on the Grand Chessboard: Geopolitics on Afghan Soil
The rivalry between British and Russian Empires over the control of Afghanistan named as “the Great Game”. Some 190 years after, Afghan soil witnesses a similar “game” being played by global and regional actors. This landlocked country, lying at the centre of the...
Why the European Defence Fund Is Good News for U.S. Security Interests
The transatlantic security and defense debate has been challenged by a recurring paradox over the past decade: Europeans are expected to take on more responsibility for their own defense and step up their defense investment, yet there is still an expectation from the...
Can Russian submarines pass through the Turkish Straits according to the Montreux Convention?
According to Montreux Convention, Black Sea littoral states have the right to use the Turkish Straits if the submarines have been constructed, purchased or sent for repair outside Black Sea with the stipulation that they inform Turkey in advance. In the case of...
Is Iran Testing Trump with Little Attacks in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Persian Gulf?
Anne Speckhard* & Ardian Shajkovci** The sound of an explosion echoed through the Green Zone on Sunday (May 19, 2019) night around 9:00 p.m., a reminder that this most secure part of the Iraqi capital is not, in fact, all that safe. The projectile appears...
How does the drilling activity of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean affect relations with Russia?
Despite calls from the US, the EU, and Egypt, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that in addition to the Fatih drill ship, which is currently in the west of Cyprus, Yavuz drillship would be sent to the region. He declared that Turkey had...
Can Russia annex Ukraine? What does the decision to distribute Russian passports in Eastern Ukraine mean?
Three days after the presidential elections in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decision to grant Russian passport to the separatist Ukrainians in Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of this country. Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has...
Assessment of a Proposed Course of Action Involving More US Support to Coalition in Yemen
On 2 May 2019, an article with the subject “A Real Plan to End the War in Yemen” was published in Foreign Affairs. The article is purposeful and well-written in terms of clarity of the arguments and got quite positive feedbacks from those following the crisis....
Whither Libya?
As Haftar’s offensive toward Tripoli stalled, the conflict does not cease to reproduce itself in other realms or dimensions. This week, Haftar and his international backers increased their level of engagement in propaganda to dominate or shift opinion in favor of...
Trump’s Embrace of Haftar Will Reignite Libya’s Proxy War
General Khalifa Haftar, the military commander of the loosely affiliated Libyan National Army (LNA), a militia that receives military support from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and Egypt, has engaged with the world’s top leaders in...
Beyond Sri Lanka: Is Jakarta prepared to counter religious extremist militancy?
Introduction Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, began transitioning to democracy after fall of Suharto in 1998. Immediately after the event, Indonesia witnessed the rise of radical militant Islamic factions. Many security and military experts...
Baghdadi Resurfaces to Show He Is in Good Health and in Full Control
Background On 29 April 2019, al-Furqan Media Center of Daesh posted a 18.22 minute video with the name: “In the Hospitality of the Emir of the Believers”. The timing of the video message, the medium it was posted through and its content are all extremely important....
Could Brazil be a NATO member with president Trump’s support?
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and US President Donald Trump's message at the White House during the press conference on March 19 attracted international attention. Particularly in the areas of terrorism, drug and human trafficking, cybercrime and money...
Hybrid Warfare and Strategic Theory*
Abstract Hybrid warfare is the latest of the terms/concepts that have been used within the defence community in the last three decades to label contemporary warfare. It has been officially adopted in the core strategic documents of NATO, EU and national governments...
Migration and Human Security: Different Perspectives About Central American Migrants Caravans
Abstract At the beginning of the twenty first century Human Security (HS) is a challenge for nations. Taking the perspective from HS, integrity and individual safety for individuals which is the main focus for states as the United States and Mexico. They are...
A Strategic Foresight for Europe: Countering Hybrid Threats Through the Lens of Strategy
A Critique of Hybrid Warfare Concept It was retired Marine Officer Frank Hoffman who popularised the Hybrid warfare concept in a series of articles and books since it was first publicly used in 2005 in a conference, by General Mattis, the U.S. General Secretary of...
Political Warfare and Hybrid Warfare
There are many labels to describe the issues linked with the return of great power competition in the cyber era in search for conceptual clarity. I am going to talk briefly about two of them - political warfare and hybrid warfare. The definition of hybrid warfare is...
Operation Sophia – Past, Present and Future
Operation Sophia was quietly and officially extended until 30 September 2019 following longstanding negotiations among member states. Political and Security Committee (PSC) reached a flawed last-minute compromise on March 29th, the last working day for an extension of...
In Light of The Return of Great Power Politics-Countering Hybrid Threats to Europe
I would like to touch upon the global geopolitical challenge – temporary occupation of Crimea that will be discussed in the framework of today’s conference. Since beginning of the so-called Referendum in Crimea in March 2014 which fully contradicted with the...
Disinformation as a Political Weapon
Disinformation is used as a political weapon. It’s not a new phenomenon, it used to exist and it will be in the future. It is just one of the tools from the toolbox of a wider effort that is called influence operations which is probably part of the hybrid warfare....
Return of Political Warfare
Concept of Political Warfare stems from Clausewitz: Condensed Version: « War is a continuation of politics by other means... war is therefore an act of violence to force the opponent to fulfil our will. A deeper reading of Clausewitz implies that war represents the...
Natural gas puzzle in Eastern Mediterranean, how will a regionally alienated Turkey be effected?
Drilling operations in East Mediterranean; specifically issues such as how to transport the extracted gas and on which route has changed security environment of the region and its geopolitics. New actors and mechanisms are involved in the game. Well then, what caused...
Third-party Intervention to Civil Wars: Realist, Liberalist and English School Theoretical Perspectives
1. Introduction According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), 48 of the 49 active conflicts in 2017 were fought within the boundaries of a state between government and opposing groups. 19 of these conflicts were internationalised (40%) with intervention from...
How NATO Adapts – Strategy and the Organization in the Atlantic Alliance since 1950
Dr. Seth A. Johnston, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2017, ISBN 9781421421988 (pbk.: alk. paper) Dr. Seth Johnston’s “How NATO Adapts” is first and foremost a book about NATO’s history. It explains changes in NATO’s strategy and organisation – terms...
The Role of Non-state Actors in the Future of Global Governance and International Security
Two main dynamics are at work in the international level. The first is the state-centred “great power dynamics”. And the second is pluralist “global governance” in which a plethora of different actors exist alongside states. A main feature of the latter, non-state...
The Spurring of a New Arms Race
As any observer can notice, all great and regional powers are building up their weapons arsenals. Some are proud of it and like to show it both to the outside world and to their own people like Putin’s Russia or Kim Jong Un’s North Korea, and also Trump; others do it...
Hybrid threats through the prism of the illegal occupation of Crimea
The distance – physical and psychological distance of many European capitals from Crimea dwarfs the sense of danger many Europeans tend to feel about the annexation of Crimea. Despite the fact that Crimea is a part of natural-Mediterranean – Black Sea security area...
Smart Cities: The New Centers of Sovereignty
There is a revolution in progress that is shifting responsibility for governance and sovereignty away from the state to cities. This revolution even has a name: the fourth industrial revolution. In many parts of the world, cities are growing exponentially and...
The Four Key Factors Enabling White Terrorism
The recent attacks on mosques in Christchurch that killed 50 worshipping Muslims and injured scores more have brought global attention to white nationalist terrorism. This phenomenon could not only grow into an international security threat akin to Islamist terrorism...
The Rise of Illiberalism by Dr. Heather Grabbe*
The question is, if is there in fact a collapse or is there something more of a lapse, because that seems to be the assumption often in Brussels in terms of EU policy making but what we are living through our extraordinary times at some point that we will return to...
Power Vacuums and the Return of Great Power Competition by Christopher Coker*
We can probably take as a point of departure that the world is disordered. And, the question is that is the disorder in the 1930s capable of addressing the disorders of the present day? The answer is probably no. If we go back to the 1930s, it is very easy to say that...
Discussion on the Collapse of the Liberal World Order by Tanguy Struye de Swielande*
The Western liberal order is in relative decline because of the economic crisis of 2008, the war against terrorism, the appearance of new threats (cyber, food security, climate, demography, proxy wars...) and new emerging states. There is clearly a leadership fatigue,...
Emerging Trends Reshaping the International Security-Keynote Address by Jamie P. Shea
A couple of decades ago, one of the favourite phrases of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was “it’s a funny world”. It is true that we live in a very funny world today. Couple of years ago, British academic, Tim Gartner Ashton said “If we could whip in a...
Kashmir crisis: How does it affect regional dynamics?
The developments following the suicide bombing of the Indian-controlled Kashmir on February 14, which resulted in the deaths of at least 40 Indian soldiers, caused the attention of the world's public to focus on the region again. New Delhi blamed the Pakistani...
Uncertainty Surrounds Turkey’s Long-Range Air Defence System Project
Turkey is a key regional player at the gateway between Europe and the Middle East, bordering Iraq and Syria. Particularly during the Syrian conflict, Turkey experienced rockets and shells landing on its side of the border injuring and killing civilians. Moreover, in...
Terrorists’ Use of Drones Promises to Extend Beyond Caliphate Battles
By Anne Speckhard*, Ardian Shajkovci** Unmanned and remote-controlled aircrafts, i.e. drones, continue to change the character of contemporary warfare.[i] It was satellites and drones, alongside a good deal of human intelligence, that located Osama bin Laden...
NATO Defence Ministerial, February 2019
Defence Ministers of NATO members discussed pressing security challenges in Brussels between 13-15 February 2019, prior to annual Munich Security Conference. Defence Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia Radmila Sekerinska, attended NATO defence ministerial...
India and Pakistan may not go to war. But there’s trouble ahead.
If you followed certain Indian media outlets in the early hours of Tuesday, you probably heard that Indian Air Force jets swooped into Pakistani airspace and carried out devastating strikes on militant camps, killing roughly 300 fighters. If you were watching in...
The Other War on Terror: Counter-Terror Financing and Anti-Money Laundering Initiatives of EU
Introduction Post 9/11 world, exposed intelligence agencies to an age old tradition of channelling funds across the globe using mordern international financial system. In this, the transnational organized criminal networks used the digital world to carry out money...
Turkish Stream or Russian Stream: Who gets the most profit from the pipeline?
The embargo imposed on Russia by the EU and the US after the annexation of Crimea and the Russian aim of eliminating the key position of Ukraine on the energy route have led Russia to re-evaluate its natural gas pipeline projects. At the end of 2014, during a state...
The Caspian Sea Basin and Europe’s Energy Security
I would first of all like to thank the organizers for inviting me to participate here. The title of this session is “Political and Geopolitical Issues in the Short and Medium Term”. I should clarify that I understand the short term to refer to one to four years, and...
Could a ‘true’ European Army become reality? – Air Force Perspective
The debates related to ‘real European Army’, which was re-launched by French President Emmanuel Macron were further heated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s speech at the European Parliament on November 13, 2018. Such statements from the leaders of the two leading...
US National Security: The Discourse and the Debates
“Make America Great Again” is attributed to the present US President Donald Trump. He certainly has been a user of this quote or phrase since 2012 if not earlier. In the 2015 reissue of his 2011 book, the subtitle read “Make America Great Again”. But by no means, he...
Conference on European Neighbourhood Policy-2019
Organised by the Institute of European Studies at Saint Louis University with the collaboration of Beyond the Horizon ISSG GALLERY Details and Schedule ORGANISERS COLLABORATORS ...
US and China struggle for hegemony on Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean
Becoming a global power depends on domination in the oceans and seas. Dominating the seas and oceans means having the strategic advantage militarily and controlling economically significant sea lines of communication. The USA, which is a global or hegemonic power,...
Prospects for Yemen in 2019 and Beyond*
The fear and terror induced by this situation, combined with unbearable survival conditions are creating a generation of psychologically scarred people, many of whom will never be able to live normal lives. Less than a month after the signature of the Stockholm...
Nine Bullets for the Traitors, One for the Enemy: The Slogans and Strategy behind the Islamic State’s Campaign to Defeat the Sunni Awakening*
The Islamic State is infamous for its sophisticated media campaigns, such as the one that inspired a large-scale migration of supporters to its so-called caliphate. Much less attention has been paid to its propaganda targeting local audiences, which tends to be more...
Born in Belgium, raised in ISIS: ‘I want to come home’
By Anne Speckhard*, Ardian Shajkovci** and Hamid Sebaly*** At a recent counterterrorism conference held by the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism in Brussels, Belgium, a seven-year-old’s words touched the issues currently pressing upon the heart...
Analysis of Academic Studies on the Integration of Displaced Persons
Abstract This research analyzed the literature on integration, assimilation, and other concepts[1] related to displaced persons[2] and refugees as experienced in their host countries. The author conducted a computer-assisted content analysis of related articles...
The Principle of Self-Determination in International Law and the Syrian Civil War
The principle of self-determination in international law is a concept that is continually evolving since the beginning of the 19th century when it entered the agenda of the international community. It has continued its evolution during the De-colonization and...
How will Artificial Intelligence Change the Character of War?
In recent years, humanity has been being faced with a technological development that may result in radical changes in post-industrial revolution economic, social, cultural, political and military fields. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be able to shape...
EU in Focus: The EU and the Resurgence of Far-Right
The far-right parties are not recent phenomena in the old continent. Following the catastrophe of the second world war, mainly caused by the far-right, nationalist and fascist parties, it became a practice, maybe with some exceptions, not to have them in...
Who is winning in Libya?
The latest milestone in the peace process for the Libya crisis, Palermo Conference, passed without a significant breakthrough on 13-14 November 2018. No final agreement has been reached during the leader’ meeting which Khalifa Haftar didn’t attend (He only attended...
Mediterranean Gas Share
Turkey is looking for an alternative to the alliance formed around Cyprus By Alexy Zender[1] Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced on September 2018 that Turkey could begin drilling operations in the Eastern Mediterranean in the following months. As...
A Content Analysis on the Media Coverage of Hybrid Warfare Concept
Murat Caliskan* - Paul Alexander Cramers** Hybrid warfare is the latest of the terms/concepts that have been used within the defense community in the last three decades to label contemporary warfare. It has been officially adopted in the core strategic documents of...
Prison – Militant Jihadist Recruiting Grounds or Refuge for Rehabilitation?
Anne Speckhard* & Ardian Shajkovci** It is often argued that prisons may accelerate the process of radicalization by virtue of having vulnerable prisoners isolated from mainstream society under circumstances in which they may be potentially exposed to virulent...
Russian A2AD Strategy and Its Implications for NATO
Abstract Humans have witnessed many wars throughout the history. The weapons, equipment, tactics, doctrines and strategies used in these wars have been in a constant evolution. This evolution of warfare has depended on technological level, changes in the societies,...
ISIS Returning Foreign Fighters: Challenges for the Justice System
By Anne Speckhard*, Ardian Shajkovci** During its heyday, ISIS and other militant groups attracted 40,000 foreign fighters in an unprecedented migration of men, women, and children to the battlegrounds of Syria and Iraq. Now, with the near territorial defeat of ISIS...
A major escalation in tensions between Russia-Ukraine in the Kerch Strait: What is next?
What happened? On Sunday, Russian Coast Guard vessels fired at and detained two Ukrainian small armed boats and a tugboat with their crews (leaving a number of Ukrainian crews wounded) off the Crimean coast on their way from Odesa to Mariupol Port. Russia...
Does US Really Want to Withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty?
We have been witnessing baffling developments in the last month, which corroborate our earlier observations on deteriorating liberal world order. On 20 October 2018, President Donald Trump stated his intention to pull U.S. out of INF Treaty and build up its arsenal...
ISIS Women: Victims, Criminals, or Both?
By Anne Speckhard*, Ardian Shajkovci** The Syrian civil uprising, abuses by Syrian President Bashar Assad, and calls from terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, an offshoot of al Qaeda, resulted in an estimated 40,000 or more foreign fighters...
Breaking the ISIS Brand in Iraq using Counter Narrative Campaigns on Facebook
By Anne Speckhard*, Ardian Shajkovci** & Neima Izadi In 2017, ISIS suffered major territorial and military defeat in Iraq. Despite the achieved success, the group remains active and in control of small pockets of territory in Iraq. It also continues to lure...
EU in FOCUS – Brexit Agreement?
The negotiators have finally reached an agreement on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on 14 November after months of hectic bargaining. The development hit the headlines and spread over the social media. Yet, is it really over? Do we know what has happened and what...
Reinforcing EU-NATO Cooperation: Walking the Talk?
Abstract While the new security environment has driven the EU to take a bigger role in security and defence, it has also forced the EU-NATO relations to evolve from a desirable strategic partnership to a more ‘essential’ one, since both their security is...
Whither Yemen?
The events following the murder of Khashoggi shook the US, the EU and the rest of the world. Although not directly related with war in Yemen, the scandal worked as a catalyst for a series of events culminating with the latest statements by US Secretary of Defence Jim...
YEMEN ON FIRE
Hasan Aslan*, Onur Sultan** Abstract Yemen, as a unitary state, has long ceased to exist. Since unification in 1990, the state has been the playfield for those willing to have power and control over resources. The Houthis, an initially egalitarian...
NATO in Focus: October 2018 NATO Defence Ministerial
Last week NATO Defence Ministers met in Brussels in order to discuss; NATO – Georgia relations, NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, Defence spending and burden-sharing, Adapting NATO command structure, and NATO-EU cooperation. At the Bucherest Summit in...
The Delicate Balance in Idlib: Actors and Near Future
The civil war in Syria is about to enter a new phase by the possible operations to Idlib. While the Syrian regime is willing to close the chapter on one of the bloodiest civil wars on its soil by gaining the control over this last stronghold of opposition forces,...
Looking Forward to Seeing You in New Horizons Symposium 2018
Beyond the Horizon International Strategic Studies Group (ISSG) and Wilfred Martens Centre brings to you the symposium of the year. New Horizons Symposium 2018 is going to be held on the 22nd of October, in Brussels, Belgium. The topics of discussion for this...
EU in Focus: Informal Salzburg Summit
EU in Focus: Informal Salzburg Summit Informal meeting of heads of state or government took place in Salzburg on 19-20 September 2018 to discuss internal security, migration and Brexit. The heads of state or government met for an informal working dinner on migration...
Welcome to New Horizons Symposium 2018
New Horizons Symposiums, as an annual landmark event, aspires to be a unique platform for political, academic, business leaders and organizations across the globe to discuss and provide solutions for the most pressing issues of our time. A hugely important showcase, a...
Hedging May Not Help Turkey: Lessons from Pakistan
States with small and medium levels of power have a limited range of strategic responses available when confronted with an aggressive superpower. They can prepare to confront the superpower (balance) by shoring up their capabilities or seeking alliances. They can...
The UAE’s vested interests are prolonging the conflict in Yemen
March 2018 will mark the three-year anniversary since the start of the disastrous conflict in Yemen. With at least 10,000 people killed, and over 22 million requiring some form of food assistance, the last three years have been among the worst in modern Yemeni...
EU in Focus: Informal Defence/Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting
Gynmich took place in Vienna on 29-31 August 2018, as usual first day with Informal meeting of defense ministers and second-day with Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers. The Informal meeting of defense ministers focused on the EU’s security and defense...
Outcomes of the 2018 Inter-Korean and North Korea-United States Summits
In 2018, inter-Korean relations have become far more dynamic as became manifest by North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which was put forth in a separate piece[1] on March 15 by the author of this article. Since then, third inter-Korean...
How Democracies Die
Democracy doesn’t always die with military coups, starts Levitsky and Ziblat, it also dies in the hands of the elected leaders. The subject is not new; after a staggering expansion of democracy after cold war, there were already signs of...
Libya Crisis Watch Archive
DATES (07-13 May 18) | (14-20 May 18) | (21-27 May 18) | (28 May-03 JUNE 18) | (04-10 JUNE 18) | (11-17 JUNE 18) | (18-24 JUNE 18) | (25 JUNE-01 JULY 18) | (02-08 JULY 18) | (09-15 JULY 18) | (16-22 JULY...
Yemen Crisis Watch Archive
DATES (30 Apr-06 May 18) | (07-13 May 18) | (13-20 May 18) | (21-27 May 18) | (28 May- 03 JUNE 18) | (04-10 June 18) | (11-17 June 18) | (18-24 June 18) | (25 June-01 July 18) | (02-08 July 18)...
Syria Crisis Watch Archive
DATES (18-25 FEB 18) | (26 FEB-04 MAR 18) | (05-11 MAR 18) | (12-18 MAR 18) | (19-25 MAR 18) | (26 MAR-01 APR 18) | (02-08 APR 18) | (09-15 APR 18) | (16-22 APR 18) | (23-29 APR 18) | (30 APR-06 MAY 18) | (07-13 MAY 18) | (14-20 MAY 18) | (21-27 MAY 18) | (28 MAY- 03...
War Beyond the Rules: States’ Use of Violence Revisited
Abstract Since the 1990s, Eastern European and African nations have experienced many intra-state conflicts, which are introduced as a concern for regional and international security by the international community. However, as the international organisations...
How Will Europe Survive from Iran Crisis?
Iran and US relations, with historical ups and downs, have taken a new turn with the advent of Trump to power. With a clear departure from slight softening after the nuclear deal, Trump has increased the tempo of US actions targeting Iran. This article will elaborate...
How to Implement Trans-Caspian Pipeline in spite of Russo-Iranian Opposition
Abstract: On 12 August 2018, a presidential summit of the Caspian littoral countries will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan. The convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea is highly likely to be signed by all the five littorals at the summit. However, there are...
F-35 Training Starts as U.S. considers removing Turkey from the Program
The deepening rift between Turkey and the U.S. has spiraled into a full-blown crisis over the trial of pastor Andrew Brunson, who was held under pre-trial detention for 21 months in a Turkish prison until he was transferred to house arrest on 25 July 2018. Brunson was...
Turkey’s Shift in Its Strategic Orientation: Challenges for the Alliance
We have been observing a massive transformation in the Middle East since the events in 2010, also dubbed as Arab Spring. However, this transformation has gained more momentum in the last 4 years. More specifically, the rise of ISIL, the Saudi-led Coalition...
Deteriorating Humanitarian Situation in Libya and Inefficiency of the Measures Taken by the EU
On 29 June 2018, just one day after the announcement of new EU measures to keep migrants out of European borders, lifeless bodies of three babies appeared in the news. The image of their innocent bodies as if they were sleeping in the stretched arms of the men who...
NATO in Focus: Brussels Summit
In the midst of Cold War 2.0, Brussels will host NATO Heads of State and/or Government who will convene this week on 11-12 July 2018 for the 28th NATO Summit normally held biennially. Leaders from Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, Georgia and RSM partner nations will also be...
Burden Sharing at NATO and the Battle of 2 Percent
ABSTRACT Burden sharing has been one of the most hotly contested issues in NATO especially since the end of Cold War. Trump’s bitter statements about utility of the Alliance in the wake of his election and following urge by U.S. policy-makers to make Europe pay...
Maritime Crisis Watch Archive
DATES (11-25 FEB 18) (26 FEB-05 MAR 18) (05-11 MAR 18) (12-19 MAR 18) (19-26 MAR 18) (26 MAR-1 APR 18) (02-08 APR 18) (09-15 APR 18) (16-22 APR 18) (23-29 APR 18) (30 APR- 06 MAY 18) (07- 13 MAY 18) (14- 20 MAY 18) (21- 27 MAY 18) (28- 03 JUNE 18) (04- 10...
Does Terrorism End Itself? ETA’s Announcement of Dissolution
The underlying source of a terrorist organization’s sustainability seems altruistic; it claims to be a champion of a larger cause. This claim to legitimacy underscores its raison d'etre and shapes its reputation. Terrorism is a theater where the battle for legitimacy...
Fighting Terrorism Through an Effective Bureaucracy
Introduction Why do some countries experience more terrorism than others? The role of bureaucratic capacity is intensely investigated by existing research to address this puzzle, and the previous studies show that having a strong bureaucracy is useful for states to be...
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