By Simon A. Miles The recent laying of charges against naval intelligence officer Sub-Lieutenant Jeffrey Paul Delisle has sent the Canadian news media into a tizzy, reminiscent of Cold War intrigue. At the time of his arrest, Delisle was working as a naval intelligence officer with HMCS Trinity in Halifax. The Department of National Defense Read More…
5. Authors of the NCC
A list of authors, past and present
The Syrian Brief: Week Two
By: Alexander Corbeil Inside Syria Reports by Syrian opposition groups detailed the death of 30 people throughout Syria on Thursday in a widespread and brutal crackdown by Assad’s forces. The continuance of violence comes as a temporary ceasefire has been reached between the Syrian military and rebels in the mountain town of Zabadani, near the Read More…
Kosovo’s Uncertain Future
By: Pavle Levkovic The political climate in Kosovo is heating up as 2012 gets under way. The latest round of protests that took place over Orthodox Christmas (6-7 January) are signs that the status of the breakaway nation is far from being resolved. The move by ethnic Albanians to disrupt Serbian President Boris Tadic’s motorcade Read More…
US-Taliban Negotiations: A Political Office in Qatar?
By: Alexander Corbeil In a dramatic turn of events last week, the spokesman for the Afghani Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, announced that the insurgent group was looking into opening a political office in Qatar. Although no concrete steps have been taken in this direction, the announcement comes as the result of more than two years of Read More…
The Syrian Brief: A Weekly Examination of the Syrian Uprising
By: Alexander Corbeil In a defiant speech Tuesday, President Bashir al-Assad addressed supporters at Damascus University. While promising a multitude of reforms, Assad lashed out at protestors and the international community. The Syrian president promised to restore order by, “hitting terrorists with an iron fist.” Continuing the regime’s ongoing rhetoric of foreign conspiracy and international Read More…
Indian Aerospace: Poised For Takeoff?
By: Rodnie Allison For many, the final details of India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition are of little significance. For those of us without a stake in Dassault Aviation, or the Eurofighter consortium, the real thrust of the deal lies in the expansion of strategic industrial and defence cooperation between India and the West. In the Read More…
Things Fall Apart: Nigeria Slides toward Sectarian Conflict
By: James Marcus Bridger Just two short years ago, the Islamist militant organization Boko Haram was discounted by government and intelligence officials as a spent force that lacked the organizational capabilities to threaten the state or endanger foreign interests. By 2011 however, the group had evolved from a small religious sect to a simmering regional Read More…
Storm Brewing over Mistral Sale to Russia
By: Simon Miles It has long been acknowledged that Russia possesses a powerful military; but equally broadly accepted that it is in dire need of modernization. Of late, the Russian government of Dmitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin has been taking steps to rectify this defect and bring the Russian military in line with the standard Read More…
Putin Equivocates His Way to Reform
By Simon A. Miles Following the spate of political protests which transpired in Russia during late 2011, many in the West have wondered what the Putin regime’s response would be. In an earlier article, I argued that Putin would not play the role of Nicholas II in this turbulent time. Recent events have borne this Read More…
Guatemala: Central America’s Most Tormented Nation II
By: Kavita Bapat The advancements to the drug trade made by the Mexican Zeta cartel in Guatemala have turned the nation into more than just a way station for drugs travelling from Colombia to the US. Guatemala is increasingly becoming a storehouse and staging area for drugs awaiting safe passage into Mexico. Although military rule Read More…