In The News 18 June - 24 June
Broadcast
Afzal Ashraf: Western alliance can't succeed in Iraq
Mentions in the Media
Lone actor terrorism
Rightwing 'lone wolves' kill more than Islamic terrorists acting alone, says report
The report, which is released in updated form on Wednesday, says: “Rightwing extremists represent a substantial aspect of the lone actor threat and must not be overlooked.”
In The Evening Standard, Washington Post, The Observer , Telesur, RT and The New Statesman
Countering Daesh
In Retreat in Syria, Iraq and Libya, ISIS May Look to Expand Its Global Reach
But what has the Islamic State become? “A militia that operates like a complex gang,” said Michael Stephens of the Royal United Services Institute. “ISIS will survive in some form, but the dream of a state is over.”
Michael Stephens in Haaretz, 24 June
The EU Referendum
EU referendum: the key issues
Malcolm Chalmers, of think tank Rusi, has warned Brexit could prompt “a wider set of disintegrative factors” across Europe. Britain, he added, would have to up defence spending to convince European allies it was still a viable partner.
Malcolm Chalmers in The Herald, 17 June
Factchecking the EU debate
The Royal United Services Institute stipulated that the negative consequences of leaving the European Union are extremely severe for Northern Ireland due to our fractious internal politics, enduring terrorist threat and weak domestic economy, and that the troubled jurisdiction of the United Kingdom could once again be ‘a major political, security and economic crisis for future governments in Westminster’.
Bright Green 18 June
Illegal Wildlife Trade
Animal poaching: How tracking technology could help prevent wildlife crime, extinctions
A 2016 report published in the Journal of Applied Ecology takes a close look at the desperate situation many species face today and the potential for technology to play a dominant role in at least slowing the rate of poaching among large, at-risk animals.
Journalist Resource, 22 June
Migration Crisis
Case for Overcoming the Ostrich Syndrome
The opening sentence of the report quoted Peter Roberts of the Royal United Services Institute, “migrants in the boat are symptoms, not causes, of the problem”.
Peter Roberts in Inter Press Service, 24 June
Military Personel
Norway’s Gender-Neutral Draft
“It will be interesting to see how well the female conscripts function — with the demands of the job and with each other — when they have been required serve rather than having volunteered to do so.”
Jo Mackowski for War on the Rocks 23 June
UK Defence Planning
Ministry of Defence contracts watchdog calls for extra clout to tackle "market abuse"
Prof John Louth, a director at the Royal United Services Institute told CSW there was a case in favour of increasing the SSRO’s powers and – potentially – for relocating it to the Cabinet Office or the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to reinforce its independence. He added that the calls for increased powers were seen as a safeguard for the future, rather than a reflection of current problems that were not being dealt with. “They’re not saying there’s a huge contracting problem; they’re saying there is an increasingly complex picture and that if they can sort out the rules early on, that would be better than having to respond to issues as they emerge,” he said.
John Louth in Civil Service World 20 June
China's Foreign Policy
China’s Place in Central Asia
The question for the Central Asian capitals is the degree to which they can shape China’s approach in a way that maximizes the benefits that they seek. Central Asian leaders also want China to take a greater degree of responsibility for some regional security questions. As the first stop on the ideologically central Silk Road Economic Belt, Central Asia will be a consistent point in Chinese foreign policy in the coming years. What the long-term ramifications of this are, however, remains to be seen
Raffaello Pantucci in Eurasia.net 20 June