AUKUS and France as an Indo-Pacific Power
The AUKUS alliance has chipped away at the pillars holding up French power projection in the Indo-Pacific.
China’s Road to DEPA Is a Bumpy One
The rewards to joining DEPA are clear, but any successful application will require tough domestic reforms.
U.S. & the Afghan vote
Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) has cancelled the nation’s presidential elections, ostensibly to allow U.S. President Barack Obama’s troop surge to take full effect and improve Afghan security. However, the delay will enable U.S. troops to manipulate the election and oust President Hamid Karzai from power in order to stem the Taliban insurgency.
Somalia: Truly at World’s End
The Straits of Malacca are losing their status as the world’s most dangerous waters in exchange for a stretch of water off one of the world’s most lawless failed states. The past week has witnessed what has become the most dramatic naval standoff since the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Uranium in Niger: When a Blessing Becomes a Curse
Niger has the world’s fourth-largest uranium reserves, and not much to show for it.
Winning the Russian Game
The West needs to step up its game if it wants to counter President Putin’s push to balkanize Europe.
Japan’s Diplomatic Bluebook Paints China as Central Villain
Japan’s latest Diplomatic Bluebook has identified China as a threat to the established regional order, continuing a deterioration of security perceptions years that began years ago.
How Local Voices Help Hold Militaries Accountable
By listening to civilian voices, militaries can piece together a picture of their true effects on the ground.
Kosovo Independence
Serbia and Russia have refused to recognize Kosovo’s independence arguing the declaration is illegal and sets international precedent that is applicable to other breakaway regions including pro-Russian South Ossieta and Abkhazia in Georgia.
Peace, justice, and the ICC in Sudan
The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) unprecedented issuance of an arrest warrant for the standing executive leader of a state may in time represent a landmark precedent in international justice or the catalyst that propelled Sudan into another spiral of conflict.