Peace and Security

In light of the most recent terrorist attack on the Defence Ministry in Kabul, the deadliest in the 15 years of war with 64 reported dead and 347 wounded, it is worth looking at the security situation in Afghanistan. The coalition government is at standstill due to continuous disagreements...

In January this year a leaked UN report by a panel of experts on the situation in Yemen confirms that at least 119 airstrikes by the Saudi forces have been targeting civilians. Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have been first hand witnesses as a number of their medical facilities have been attacked repeatedly. The fact...

Picture the image of opposing armies charging each other in a muddy field during the Napoleonic Wars and it’s easy to see that there has been an evolution in the way that we fight wars. It is now inconceivable to think of soldiers lining the miles of trenches that...

In the first part, we have discussed the contingencies and implications that can occur in South China Sea with respect to the United States of America. The territorial claims in the sea are mainly connected with two islands viz. Spratly and Paracel and the distribution of maritime boundary in...

South China Sea, a marginal sea in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, is believed to hold massive natural gas and oil reserves beneath its seabed. It is an archipelago where uninhabited islands are subjected to sovereign claims by China, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia. Freedom of navigation...

With the melting of the Arctic icecap and opening of new sea lanes (see previous article here), many countries are expecting to benefit from the upcoming development of economic activities in the High North, ranging from shipping to mining, to drilling. However, the Arctic’s harsh climate often renders these activities...

Two weeks ago, U.S. sailors raced across the Florida Straits to participate in the first ever Havana Challenge regatta. The last regatta of this kind could not be held with formal permission due to U.S. restrictions on pleasure craft traveling to Cuba. The reunion of the sailing communities of...

The harsh reality is that while some of us are comfortably laid back on the couch thinking about what to eat at dinner or about our plans for Saturday night, millions of people are living under a war scenario , such as in Syria, South Sudan and Libya. Wars...

Over the past few months, three Western countries, namely Canada, Australia and France, have been the targets of attacks that politicians quickly labelled as “terror attacks.” Now these three countries are all trying to pass bills that would extend the powers of surveillance institutions in order to guarantee public...

Maldives, an archipelago consisting of 1200 islands in the heart of Indian Ocean is recently in the news for all the wrong reasons. The political turmoil that has engulfed this island-nation has created ripples across South Asia and the world. The recent arrest of former President and opposition leader Mohamed...

The United States held a 3-day military training in February at its Northern Warfare Training Centre located in Black Rapids, Alaska. The event gathered 12 nations and aimed at enhancing cooperation and capacities in the High North. Black Rapids’ harsh climate and rugged terrain allowed the military to improve...

The West is not the only global player to have its eyes on Asia. Russia is looking to become a key energy supplier for the Chinese and Indian markets and will use its Arctic gas to do so. Russia aims to diversify its oil and gas exports which have...