A list of authors, past and present

Kavita Bapat

India’s Defense Procurement: Part I – The Rough Start

[captionpix align=”right” theme=”elegant” width=”360″ imgsrc=” http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/20110312_WOC327.gif” captiontext=” The world’s biggest defence budgets: The Economist. “] Last month’s announcement of India’s national budget found the country increasing its defense expenditure by 19% with 40% delegated for capital acquisitions. This has put India’s defense spending at the comparatively high figure of approximately $38.5-billion USD. The spending increase comes Read More…

Amina Abdullayeva

Russia: Just Another BRIC in the Wall?

As summit season is almost upon us, everyone is talking about the upcoming meeting of NATO and the G8. Amid all the controversy and sheer amount of information in the media about these two summits, let us not overlook another meeting that happened recently: the March 29 BRICS Summit in New Delhi. [captionpix align=”left” theme=”elegant” Read More…

Canada NATO and Canada Rodnie Allison

The F-35 Wake-Up Call

By Rodnie Allison [captionpix align=”right” theme=”elegant” width=”320″ imgsrc=”http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2012/04/03/li-ferguson-02447622.jpg” captiontext=” Auditor General Michael Ferguson held a news conference shortly after tabling his spring report on Tuesday. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press).”] “Devastating”, “Biting”, and “Not a Pretty Picture” –  just some of the statements that followed the release of Auditor-General Michael Ferguson’s first report to Parliament.  Yes it is official, Read More…

Alexander Corbeil

NATO and the Arab Spring: Democracy Promotion and Security Sector Reform

Given NATO’s linkages to Arab states through the Mediterranean Dialogue, the Alliance should actively support the transition to democracy in post-Arab Spring countries by utilizing its various resources in the realms of institutional creation, democracy promotion, and security sector reform. NATO’s efforts to support the Arab Spring, particularly its operation in Libya, have brought the specter Read More…

Africa James M. Bridger Maritime Nation

The EU’s Misguided Move to Fight Pirates Onshore

[captionpix align=”left” theme=”elegant” width=”320″ imgsrc=”http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1405/5178639570_e09c65894f_z.jpg” captiontext=” While successful at deterring and disrupting pirate attacks, foreign military operations alone cannot end Somali piracy.”] When confronting the crisis of Somali piracy, the preferred strategy of the international community has been to deploy naval vessels to protect vulnerable ships and deter and disrupt pirate attacks. The refrain that Read More…

Eastern Europe and Russia Pavle Levkovic

Revisiting Bosnia Twenty Years Later

Decades later, there is a lingering sense that more could have been done to prevent the conflict that unfolded in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. During this time, the primary international institution that shouldered the task of maintaining the peace in Bosnia and Croatia from 1992-1995 was the United Nations. It did so through its Read More…

Pavle Levkovic

Pakistan to Review NATO Supply Route

In an update to the US-Pakistan border crossing dispute, major news sources are reporting that Pakistan looks set to go ahead with reopening the borders to foreign ground traffic, pending approval by parliament. The routes have been closed since November 2011 “Salala incident,” when 26 Pakistani soldiers died after a firefight with US troops on Read More…

Canada Rodnie Allison

The F-35: At What Price?

By: Rodnie Allison In four years Canada will receive the first of sixty-five F-35A multi-role combat aircraft. These aircraft represent much more than a means to regulate airspace or dictate conditions on the ground. They represent a commitment to the NATO alliance structure, the integration of strategic industrial resources among like-minded governments, and finally, the Read More…

Amina Abdullayeva Eastern Europe and Russia Uncategorized

Eurasian Stakes Raised as Frozen Conflict Heats Up

From Ice to Fire Nagorno-Karabakh, a de facto, but unrecognized state fought over by Armenia and Azerbaijan, may not appear on any map, but recent events warrant increased attention on this part of the globe. Several developments in Azerbaijan, including increased military spending, an arms deal with Israel, and the talks with Russia over the Gabala Radar Read More…