The issue of deadly racism in the USA has been brought to the attention of all Americans by the persistent efforts of impassioned activists, especially by carrying placards with photographs of African-American victims of deadly police actions. Article suggests how the greater toll of darker skinned people murdered by Americans …
Read More »Al-Qa`ida’s Soon-To-Be Third Emir? A Profile of Saif al-`Adl
Abstract: With the confirmed deaths of Hamza bin Ladin and Abu Muhammad al-Masri, as well as the reported (but as yet unconfirmed) demise of al-Qaida’s second emir, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the likely next in line to inherit the leadership is an Egyptian who goes by the nom de guerre Saif al-Adl. …
Read More »China’s Counterterrorism Inroads in Central Asia
China has made inroads in Central Asia to secure economic, energy, and security interests, bringing with it a host of consequences for the region. China influences regional security through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). China’s security footprint in Central Asia continues to expand, growing …
Read More »As Right-Wing Extremism Rises, Jihadism Still Persists
Six separate terrorist attacks took place in Europe between late September and late November of last year—three in France, and one each in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. All six attacks were inspired by Salafi-jihadist ideology, which is, and will remain, a persistent terrorism threat to Europe and elsewhere in the …
Read More »Experts studied al-Qaeda and Isis for years, now they are turning their attention to extremists closer to home
In the years after the 11 September terror attacks, national security strategy in the US came to be dominated by an almost singular focus on Islamist extremism. Efforts to counter the threat of jihadist violence created a cottage industry of experts and researchers whose attention was similarly focused in one …
Read More »The Future of QAnon: Fringe Conspiracy or Acute Security Threat?
The QAnon conspiracy theory-based movement appears to have fractured following the inauguration of President Biden on January 20, 2021. There are efforts being made by a range of violent non-state actors to recruit disaffected QAnon members into their orbit.
Read More »Iran Offers to Reverse Its Nuclear Deal Violations if Sanctions Are Lifted
Iranian media reported tentative steps by the U.S. and its European allies in the P5+1 group, which negotiated the original 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran, to resume adherence to that deal and back away from Trump administration policies, including the 2018 reimposition of economic sanctions.
Read More »How the Biden Administration Can Revive U.N. Peacekeeping
The United States has a critical role to play in positioning peacekeepers to fulfill increasingly complex and demanding mandates. When American politicians want to temper voter’s concerns over U.S. military commitments overseas, many employ perhaps the most worn-out foreign policy cliché: “The United States cannot police the world.” After all, …
Read More »The American Century Ends Early
Like Gregor Samsa, the never-to-be-forgotten character in Franz Kafka’s story “The Metamorphosis,” we awoke on January 7th to discover that we, too, were “a giant insect” with “a domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments” and numerous “pitifully thin” legs that “waved helplessly” before our eyes. If you prefer, …
Read More »Iran’s use of Iraq as a missile base: Threats and logistics – analysis
Tensions with Iran appear underpinned by similar discussions about deterrence Iran could move up to 200 long-range missiles to Iraq, a report noted earlier this week, a move that would be designed to put in place missiles that could reach Israel. The reason Iran might do this is to prevent …
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