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Africa James M. Bridger Maritime Nation Terrorism

Kenyan Troops Go Where Others Fear to Tread

By: James Bridger Despite attempts to brand itself as a luxury tour destination, Kenya has been unable to escape the harsh reality that it borders a failed state of Hobbesian proportions. Instability has spilled over in recent weeks, as Somali militants launched a series of daring raids into Kenyan territory: On 11 September Judith Tebbutt, Read More…

Canada Kavita Bapat NATO and Canada

Canada-NATO Relations, the Future of Afghanistan and its Implications on the Transatlantic Alliance

By: Kavita Bapat In July Canada began the process of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan after nearly a decade of engagement in the war torn country. In the early days of the Afghan conflict Canada contributed troops to Joint Task Force 2 with the aim of routing out remaining Taliban and al Qaeda forces. In 2003 Read More…

Africa Cyber Security and Emerging Threats James M. Bridger Maritime Nation

Piracy Watch: Preventing the “Somalization” of West Africa

By: James Marcus Bridger  An All Too Familiar Event On September 14, armed pirates commandeered an idling tanker, the Matteus I, making off with its cargo of crude oil and 23 hostages. While such events no longer make headlines when they occur off the coast of Somalia, this hijacking took place on the other side Read More…

Eastern Europe and Russia Simon Miles

NATO’s Future Role in the Abkhazia Dispute

By: Simon A. Miles Following the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia declared the Georgian breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and even Georgia itself, to be within Russia’s sphere of influence.  Though Russia has deescalated to a war of words, the dispute over Abkhazia remains an important concern Read More…

Eastern Europe and Russia

A Russian Job Trade

By: Gemma Louise Thom During an address to the United Russia Party congress, Vladimir Putin accepted an offer to run for Presidency in the March 2012 elections. The proposal, made by the current President, Dmitry Medvedev, came as no surprise. This decisive move will potentially allow Putin, the current Prime Minister and former President, to Read More…

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats The Middle East and North Africa

Unrest Erupts in Yemen Amid Concerns of a Humanitarian Crisis

By: Nabila F. Qureshi In the worst violence Yemen has seen in several months, four days of bloodshed resulted in over 75 people killed and hundreds more injured in the capital of Sanaa.  Troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh opened fire on protesters, sniping civilians from rooftops while other security forces dispersed tear gas Read More…

James M. Bridger Maritime Nation The Middle East and North Africa

Turkish-Israeli Relations Sinking Fast Over Flotilla Fallout

By: James Marcus Bridger Ever since Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel in March 1949, relations between the two states have been marked by a high degree of economic, military, and humanitarian cooperation. What was once a seemingly natural alliance between two non-Arab “outsiders” in the Middle East has however recently devolved Read More…

The Middle East and North Africa

Egypt, after the Arab Spring:

“The principle that no person is above the law, especially those at the top, is among the most precious of all the rights that the brave protestors in Tahrir Square sought” Spring evokes images of rebirth, renewal, and change. The January 2011 popular uprising, leading to the resignation of Hosni Mubarak after 18 days of Read More…