Jane's Intelligence Review - International Security

International Security

*Harbouring ambitions - China invests in Indian Ocean ports
In early September, an Indian media report claimed New Delhi was planning to construct major air force and naval stations on the Andaman and Nicobar...
15-Oct-2009

*Total gridlock - Cyber threat to critical infrastructure
Cyber security is becoming an increasingly important issue, as governments and companies evaluate the potential risks that cyber attacks could pose. In May, US President...
12-Oct-2009

*The enemy's enemy - Eritrea's involvement in Somalia
Supporting allies in a conflict in foreign lands is an adventure fraught with difficulty. As imperial powers regularly discovered, local powerbrokers can often incite violent...
17-Sep-2009

*Holding pattern - Russia-Georgia relations remain tense
Russia and Georgia celebrated the one-year anniversary of their brief August 2008 conflict with a renewed rise in tensions. With fiery rhetoric remaining unabated, large-scale...
14-Sep-2009

*Island fortresses - Abu Musa and Greater Tunb
Occupied and administered by Iran since 1971 but claimed by the United Arab Emirates, the tiny Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and...
14-Aug-2009

*Right turn - European voters turn to extremist parties
European voters rejected centre-left parties in favour of the centre-right across the continent in the European Parliament elections on 7 to 12 June. However, as...
17-Jul-2009

*Suspicious minds - NATO-Russian relations are deteriorating
During United States President Barack Obama's first visit to Moscow, from 6 to 8 July, he reiterated his administration's desire to "reset" relations with Russia,...
16-Jul-2009

*Booster shot - The US increases its forces in Afghanistan
What the Obama administration lacks in definition it makes up for in enthusiasm. Despite failing to clearly enunciate its strategy for Afghanistan, President Barack Obama...
18-Jun-2009

*Just rewards - International judicial bodies and security
Justice is, if not blind, then exceptionally myopic. Despite an arrest warrant on two counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity...
15-Jun-2009

*Anarchy in the EU - Protest is once again on the rise in Europe
Forty-one years later, and the spirit, if not the fervour, of May 1968 lives on. Then, over a month of student-led protests and a general ...
14-May-2009

*Double acts - Joint military operations target rebels in DRC
Two separate government offensives against foreign rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo's troubled east demonstrated a rapprochement with the country's erstwhile enemies Uganda...
13-May-2009

*Capability gap - ASEAN's ongoing difficulties
The 14th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) took place in Thailand from 28 February to 1 March amid a series of...
16-Apr-2009

*On the rocks - France clings on to its territories
France's overseas territories (outre-mer) have recently been beset by turmoil. General strikes and protests against low wages and the high cost of living have been...
08-Apr-2009

*Multi-player games - Central Asia pits powers against each other
The decision in February by the Kyrgyzstan government to close Manas air base, the United States' only military base in Central Asia, has sparked speculation...
12-Mar-2009

*Marine corps - Private security companies and piracy
The multi-million dollar random paid for the release of the Ukrainian-flagged MV Faina vessel in February illustrated the ongoing threat posed by pirates operating ...
13-Feb-2009

*Validating violence - Jihadists sanction energy-related attacks
A major disruption to oil supplies is a nightmare scenario for any country as the damage this could do to an economy would be disproportionately...
23-Jan-2009

*Hanging by a thread - Securing supply lines in military operations
In November 2008, insurgent fighters in Pakistan launched a series of attacks on US supply convoys heading to sustain Washington's garrison in land-locked Afghanistan. ...
16-Jan-2009

*Self-defence lessons - Ukrainian insecurity post-Georgia
The shut-off of all natural gas going to Ukraine on 7 January 2009 has once again highlighted the fragility of Russia's relations with its neighbours....
15-Jan-2009

*Mountain tensions - India strengthens air bases near China
Since the brief conflict in 1962 between China and India, in which China's People's Liberation Army overcame its then poorly equipped and ill-prepared adversary, bilateral...
11-Dec-2008

*Risky business - How global stability has changed in 2008
Stability in government and the co-opting of militants has seen Iraq move out of the bottom 50 in Jane's Country Risk global risk ratings. Conversely,...
11-Dec-2008

*True colours - The future of US foreign policy
One thing President-elect Barack Obama has been keen to emphasise is change. The taglines of his successful 21-month presidential campaign were 'The change we need'...
05-Nov-2008

*Space invaders - Mexican illegal aliens and the US
After many years of seeking to secure the United States-Mexico border, officials are now beginning to announce some success. In the financial year 2008 -...
29-Oct-2008

*Island finance - US aid tackles terrorism in Southeast Asia
Over the past 10 years, Southeast Asia has witnessed a growing resurgence of militant Islamist extremism. This development reflects a reaction to the modernisation pursued...
24-Oct-2008

*Loaded guns: The build up of armaments in Latin America
South America is one of the most stable regions in the world, having experienced its last conventional war in 1995, when a month-long clash between...
22-Oct-2008

*Coup de grâce - The evolution of coup tactics
Mauritania's military coup in August 2008 came as a reminder that in many countries coups d'état continue to be a means of governmental change, despite...
16-Oct-2008

*Trial of strength: Georgia's challenge to EU foreign policy
Russian forces completed their withdrawal from buffer positions around the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on 9 October, marking a formal exit...
14-Oct-2008

*Boxed in - Containing a nuclear Iran
Containment helped define United States foreign policy towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Inspired by a view of the USSR as expansionist and...
22-Sep-2008

*Cold calling - Competition heats up for Arctic resources
In the wake of the Russo-Georgian war in August, European and United States fears of a reassertion of Russian power have increased. Such concerns have...
18-Sep-2008

*Baiting the bear - Georgia plays Russian roulette
Fighting in Georgia between 7 and 12 August was the most intense since a series of conflicts between 1991 and 1993 witnessed the creation of...
14-Aug-2008

*Club Med - Mediterranean states form new union
When French President Nicolas Sarkozy presided over a summit of 43 heads of state or government to launch the new Union for the Mediterranean (UMed) ...
13-Aug-2008

*High resolution - Trying to tame Somalia's piracy problem
On 2 June 2008 the UN Security Council (UNSC) approved Resolution 1816, permitting mandated countries to enter Somali waters for the purpose of combating piracy. ...
17-Jul-2008

*Fourth dimension - US revives its Latin American fleet
In April 2008, the United States announced it was re-establishing its Fourth Fleet, which had been deactivated since 1950. Admiral Gary Roughead, United States chief ...
14-Jul-2008

*Middle ground - Lebanon plays buffer as Syria and Israel simmer
The simultaneous announcements in Syria and Israel on 21 May that both countries have been engaged in secret peace talks for more than a year ...
12-Jun-2008

*Terms of endearment - South Korean president eclipses sunshine
Amid signs of engagement with the US and the six-party process, North Korea's relations with its southern neighbour have severely deteriorated. On 28 March, Pyongyang...
15-May-2008

*Feeding frenzy - Shortages dish up trouble around the world
Since early 2007, increases in food prices have gone from being a mild inconvenience for consumers to being the cause of rioting in various different...
08-May-2008

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