February 27, 2015

By Isobel Petersen: Dylan Hendrickson is a Senior Fellow at King’s College Department of War Studies. He first joined King’s College in 1999 as Senior Research Fellow of the Conflict, Security & Development Group (CSDG) specialising in the study and practice of Security Sector Reform (SSR). He is currently a member of CSDG’s sister group, … Continue reading “Interview – Dylan Hendrickson on security sector reform”

February 25, 2015

By Thomas Colley: One month after the US announced its decision to send a military training mission to the Ukraine, the British government has announced that 75 military advisors will also be sent to support the Ukrainian military. Backing the US is unsurprising for those familiar with British foreign policy in recent decades. Yet this … Continue reading “Putting ‘brains on the ground’: why is Britain sending military advisors to Ukraine?”

February 24, 2015

By Jackson Webster: This January, Taiwan’s navy received the first order of its newest vessel, the Tuo Jiang. The Taiwan Navy has dubbed this twin-hulled corvette a ‘carrier killer,’ and the Taiwanese Minister of National Defence, Yen Ming, has announced his government’s intention to field an entire fleet of the new domestically-developed ships. The ship’s … Continue reading “Taiwan’s new ‘Carrier Killer’ shows both strength and weakness”

February 20, 2015

By Ethan Brooks and Thomas Giles: In the Algerian War of 1954-62, the belligerents tore apart a society that had coexisted for a century. The wounds they left were too deep to heal. But the continuation of theviolence after the war and the spiraling civilian-targeted terror campaigns conducted by both French colonists and Algerian independence … Continue reading “Lessons from Algeria: counter-insurgency, commitment and cruelty”

February 17, 2015

By Charlie de Rivaz: When news trickled through about Saturday’s attacks in Copenhagen, it was difficult to avoid a sense of déjà vu. Another Islamic extremist attacks another cartoonist. Then he targets Jews. Was this another Charlie Hebdo? Another gruesome episode in the increasingly depressing battle between radical Islam and the West? This is not … Continue reading “Made in prison: Copenhagen and the Paris attacks”

February 11, 2015

By Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood: “Elections belong to people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters” – Abraham Lincoln When elections loom we often make the mistake of believing that voting for a different party or a new … Continue reading “Nigeria's elections and the quest for change”

February 9, 2015

By Pablo Scuticchio: Earlier this year, Dilma Rousseff replaced the chiefs of the armed forces for the first time as President of Brazil. The most anticipated was her pick for the influential position of Army Commandant. Rousseff’s choice raised a few eyebrows because she broke with the established practice of appointing the most senior officer … Continue reading “Brazil's new army chief: the challenges ahead”

February 6, 2015

By David Bruckmeier:  Chad has emerged as a key player in the war against Islamist group Boko Haram. The liberation of the Nigerian town of Gamboru by Chadian troops on February 3 is the latest example of the Central African country’s increasing assertiveness in regional security matters. Beyond fears of a spillover of the violence to his own country, President Idriss Déby is seeking to establish Chad as a … Continue reading “Chad: Taking the lead in the war on Boko Haram”

February 5, 2015

By Professor Sir David Omand GCB: The Snowden revelations revealed much that was never intended to be public. But to understand them they must be seen in their context, of a dynamic interaction over the last few years between the demand for intelligence on the threats to society and the potential supply of relevant intelligence … Continue reading “Understanding digital intelligence from a British perspective”

February 4, 2015

By Fernanda A. Marín: I wasn’t lucky enough to be present at the latest demonstration in support of the “Je suis Charlie” movement, in solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attack in Paris that happened just under a month ago. I saw how all my friends living in Paris took out their pens and … Continue reading “Charlie Hebdo: defending more than one narrative”