What is Turkey trying to accomplish with its Syria policy?
As Turkey readies sanctions against Syria, there is some confusion as to how one best reads the relationship between these two neighbors. Until this year, the government of Turkey led by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) appeared friendly with the Assad regime, and has spent the recent months diplomatically urging Bashar Assad to curb his violent crackdowns against protesters.
South China Sea – Old Worries on The Rise
The territorial disputes concerning the Spratly and Paracel Islands and adjacent waters are still unresolved. Recently, incidents between Vietnamese seismic survey ships and Chinese coast patrols are a reminder of the conflict potential these border disputes inherit. After a phase of relative easiness among the claimants to the South China Sea islands, these newly heightened tensions cause rising worries in the region and abroad.
The Cost of “Friendly” Espionage Against the United States
As the sole remaining superpower the United States is a natural target for espionage activity for a wide range of nations. Not all of those actively spying against the United States are competing powers, as one might assume. The list of nations pursuing an active policy of intelligence gathering in the US includes strategic competitors such as Russia and China but also holds many of the closest allied states.
Where the Anti-Muslim Path Leads
Since 9/11, the anti-Muslim drumbeat has impacted vast numbers of innocent Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Arabs, South Asians and others. We, who despair when our children are teased and bullied, are accepting and repeating despicable slurs about others, ricocheting through our culture. I felt compelled to stand up against people being attacked, even murdered on the basis of snap judgments
The Shifting Nature of Chinese Intelligence Operations
The People’s Republic of China, from its very inception, has placed a high premium on intelligence gathering and covert operations. The focus of Chinese intelligence activity has taken on a new shape. There has been a shift away from a sole concentration on militarily technology related espionage and the advent of a more broadly commercial focus.
The upcoming elections in Iran
When Iran’s former president, Mohammad Khatami, announced that he would stand as a presidential candidate in the country’s June elections, there were hopes that once again he could use his charisma to mobilize voters in favor of a reformist program. So what caused him to stand down and support Mir Hussein Mousavi?
Opinion – Iran’s Increasing Use of Azerbaijanis for Covert Operations
The IRGC Quds force actively uses foreign nationals to conduct espionage and terror attacks, with a particular focus on the ethnic Azerbaijani regions of Georgia.
“Shooting yourself in the foot”: The Anti-Boycott Law
In this bastion of democracy amongst an otherwise hostile terrain of authoritarian regimes and despotism, how do we reconcile natural democratic values of expression with this draconian law? Human rights organisations have begun to battle, but as the years unfold it remains to be seen how such a law will pan out and how Israel will maintain its democracy.
Opinion – Argentina’s Javier Milei Shows his Teeth
How Milei would behave in an environment of greater freedom of action than he now enjoys is an open question.
Opinion – Oligarchic Constitutionalism in Europe? A Warning from Within
Europe may be evolving toward a constitutional order where governance appears democratic in form, but increasingly functions in ways that reproduce oligarchic power.
