February 9, 2018

By Athul Menath   The North Eastern states of India – often referred to as ‘the Seven Sister’ states – have been affected by insurgency in varying proportions since the 1950’s. Although the root causes of insurgencies can be traced back to India’s chaotic partition and colonial history, these violent movements arguably have been sustained due to … Continue reading “Insurgency Scenario in Arunachal Pradesh”

June 2, 2016

Interviewed by: Harris Kuemmerle Harris Kuemmerle – Where do you see climate change fitting within the wider European security dynamic moving forward? Do you feel that European policy makers adequately appreciate the security risks of climate change? Or is it still seen as somewhat of a secondary security issue? Karin von Hippel – I think … Continue reading “Extremism, environment, and new security dynamics: Strife in conversation with RUSI Director, Dr. Karin von Hippel”

April 22, 2016

By: Peter Kirechu The most notable feature of President Barack Obama’s partnership-based counterterrorism doctrine­–roughly defined–is its central focus on training and arming local security services to independently deal with emerging terrorism threats. The President’s doctrine is unfortunately fraught with inconsistent performance of US-trained security services, especially among fragile states in the Middle East and beyond. … Continue reading “The limits of US security cooperation in Jordan”

March 7, 2016

By: James A. Fargher In response to an effective Islamist insurgency which threatened British interests in the Greater Middle East, the Cabinet sent a carrier-based strike force to commence an air campaign to disrupt and degrade the insurrection.[1] A radical Somali cleric, Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, had inspired the uprising, which threatened to spread and to radicalise … Continue reading “The Somaliland Campaign and the Origins of British Counterinsurgency Airstrikes”

September 19, 2015

By Alex Calvo: The fate of the almost 3,000 interpreters who worked with the British forces in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province has recently been highlighted in the media, prompting a debate about whether they should be allowed to settle in Great Britain. The interpreters fear reprisals and some have already suffered violence or even death in their native … Continue reading “Controversy over interpreters reminder of failures in Afghanistan”

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”

September 6, 2014

By Alex Calvo: On 07 August 2013, Greater Manchester Police posted a note on Facebook describing a sexual assault in the city centre two days earlier.[1] It explained that a 27-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted at knife-point at about 0245 on a ‘night out with her friends’ after she ‘became detached from the group’. … Continue reading “Policing and counterinsurgency: A case from Manchester”

February 18, 2014

By Joana Cook, Managing Editor, Strife: Victoria Fontan is a Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica and author of “Decolonizing Peace” (2012) and “Voices from Post-Saddam Iraq” (2008). She is now undertaking her third PhD in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. * Joana … Continue reading “COIN, resilience, and a new approach to conflict: Interview with Victoria Fontan”

January 20, 2014

By Jill Russell January 11th’s vigil in Tottenham, a response to the findings in the Coroner’s Inquest that the shooting of Mark Duggan was lawful, was promised to be a peaceful though disappointed demonstration in response to the official findings. I would go. It was a public order event to observe and in support of … Continue reading “From riots to vigil: The community, the police and Mark Duggan’s legacy”