Commentary

Syrian FlagARGUMENTS FOR Military Intervention in Syria With over 6000 dead, there is little option but to intervene in Syria and dismantle the regime. It is important that the international community joins the Arab states in their determination to get involved and ensure a stable post-Assad Syria.
8 Feb 2012
Syrian FlagARGUMENTS AGAINST Military Intervention in Syria Something needs to be done to stop the Syrian Army killing ever increasing number of its citizens. But Syria is far more complex than Libya and simply sending arms and further internationalising the Syrian Civil War will only exacerbate the war and elongate suffering. A more viable solution is for Arab states to use their muscle as energy suppliers to slow down the Assad regime.
8 Feb 2012
Analysis Podcast thumbANALYSIS PODCAST: The Defence Pound Defence spending cuts are rarely out of the news. One of the ways of economising is for the UK's Ministry of Defence to spend money on so-called, 'off the shelf' systems. But there could be problems with that. In this podcast, Elizabeth Pearson talks to Dr John Louth, Deputy Head of RUSI's Defence Industries and Society Programme. He's looked into the effects of buying off the shelf - and found it could be a false economy.
3 Feb 2012
London Stock Exchange Bomb PlottersThe London Stock Exchange Bomb-Plotters - Lone Wolves and Successful Counter-Terrorism Work A decision by four Britons to plead guilty to terrorist offences including a plan to bomb the London Stock Exchange sheds new light on the current terrorist threat to the UK. It also gives fresh insight into the work of counter terrorism officers in the UK, and of their coverage of extremist networks.
3 Feb 2012
Ministry of DefenceThe UK Government’s New Plan for Defence and Industry: A Fresh Approach to Procurement? On 1 February 2012, the UK government published its long awaited on defence procurement. It sets a vision intending to reform Britain's fraught acquisition and procurement process, but the challenge will be at the implementation stage.
2 Feb 2012
Hague FCO FlickrBeyond Rhetoric: Could the Heightened Falklands Debate Threaten British Strategic Interests In Latin America? Relations between Latin America and the UK are at a level unseen for almost two centuries, but attempts by Argentina to diplomatically isolate the UK from the region over the Falkland Islands could seriously impact British strategic interests across the continent.
31 Jan 2012
Mugabe ThumbCentral Africa and Southern Africa: Elections and Economics Predictions of a 'sub-Saharan spring' in southern Africa have as yet proved unfounded, but elections in the DRCongo and Zimbabwe are proving to be risky in the current climate of domestic turmoil.
30 Jan 2012
Shabaab PlasmatikFlickrEastern Africa: A Regional Stake in Counter-Insurgency Somalia will continue to dominate the 2012 agenda for East African states as the humanitarian impact of famine and ongoing fighting pulls in regional and international actors. Now embroiled in military operations, Kenya also faces a big year for domestic politics. Other regional dynamics are tying together Uganda and South Sudan, and Kenya and Eritrea, who are all facing political challenges.
30 Jan 2012
Nigeria Soldiers ThumbWest Africa: Regional Security Comes to the Fore With fewer elections scheduled for 2012 in West Africa, the emphasis will shift to regional security and dealing with complex security threats. Terrorist groups and local militias are still a major problem, while religious conflict and instability threaten the region’s largest economy; Nigeria.
30 Jan 2012
Typhoon take-offIndia’s procurement of a European Fighter India is setting its sights on a new medium range combat aircraft from Europe. The competition to sell new aircraft to India is part of an increased engagement by European defence manufacturers in Asia, set against the backdrop of an economic downturn and shifting regional geopolitics.
16 Jan 2012
Persian GulfThe Dawn Of A Civil Nuclear Age In The Gulf Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear energy programme has created deep tensions and fear across the Middle East and the West. Despite this, and the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, countries in the Gulf are now embarking on radical nuclear energy programmes with greater cooperation from the West.
11 Jan 2012
Khomeni Iranian Revolutionary GuardIran and the West: Playing a Zero-Sum Game The killing of a nuclear scientist in Tehran may well be the latest in a line of skirmishes between Iran and its American-led adversaries. Both sides are playing a zero-game, and neither coercive actions nor more negotiations are likely to bring a durable settlement.
11 Jan 2012
florence anti-extremism demoNot Welcome Here: The Resurgence Of Far-Right Wing Extremism In Europe The recent spate of extremist murders across Europe may indicate a growing European malaise where xenophobia and anti-minority hatred is becoming acceptable. Yet events in Britain, where two men have been convicted for an era-defining racist murder, could herald a change in attitudes and be an example for the rest of Europe.
9 Jan 2012
US DoDNew US Defence Strategy: Why Obama is Abandoning America's Commitment to Fight Two Major Wars President Obama's new defence strategy purportedly removes the United States historic commitment to fight two major theatre wars simultaneously. Despite the strategic and financial rationale, he will have to sell this departure in strategy to the American public.
9 Jan 2012
US DoDNew US Defence Strategy: Implications for the United States Air Force President Obama's new defence strategy with its reorientation towards the Pacific is good news for airpower and the US Air Force. Despite proposed budget cuts, there will be a continued reliance on strategic air assets.
9 Jan 2012
Analysis Podcast thumbTackling Piracy off the Coast of Somalia Lizz Pearson speaks with analyst Dominick Donald who recently wrote in the RUSI Journal analysing the piracy threat off the coast of Somalia.
6 Jan 2012
TalibanWhy has the Taliban opened an office in Qatar? The Taliban’s establishment of an office in Doha suggests a progression towards the transition long sought after by the United States. The choice of Qatar further cements the Gulf state’s ambition to be a diplomatic powerhouse.
4 Jan 2012
2012 buttonSomalia's 2012 Agenda Somalia has until August to complete political reform, inaugurate a new constitution and hold national elections before the end of the transitional period. It must also capitalise on the Kenyan incursion to rout Al-Shabaab and establish security in this enduring weak state, making 2012 a make-or-break year for Somalia.
4 Jan 2012
North Korean rallyThe Dear Leader is dead, will the regime follow? As North Korea’s leadership transitions, Kim Jong-un will have to contend with a region that is undergoing significant geopolitical change whilst also dealing with possible challenges to his own fledgling regime.
20 Dec 2011
2012 buttonVIDEO: Perspectives for 2012 RUSI Director General Professor Michael Clarke offers his defence and international security perspectives for the year ahead.
16 Dec 2011
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