Category: Blogs

Time to Get NATO More Active on the Syrian Situation

By Robert Bracknell

The Syrian regime is struggling to contain yet another manifestation of the Arab Spring with brutality and inhumanity unparalleled since the freedom phenomenon began in Tunisia last April. The international media has documented the slaughter of thousands of rebels and protected civilians, waging war indiscriminately and through inhumane and unlawful means against internal populations whose […]

Russian Military Reform: Not Quite There Yet

By Jakub Kulhanek

With the last year defense budget of $72 billion, Russia has overtaken Britain and France to become the world’s third-largest defense spender. The Russian armed forces are in the midst of wide ranging transformation whilst acquiring some state-of-the-art weapons, including French-built Mistral amphibious assault ships.

State Department’s Top Ten Answers on International Law in Cyberspace

By Harold Hongju Koh, Department of State

From Harold Hongju Koh, Department of State:  Everyone here knows that cyberspace presents new opportunities and new challenges for the United States in every foreign policy realm, including national defense.

Report: Iran behind “significant and ongoing” cyber attacks against U.S. financial institutions

By Robert Windrem and Jim  Miklaszewsk, NBC News

From Robert Windrem and Jim  Miklaszewsk, NBC News:  National security officials told NBC News that the continuing cyber attacks this week that slowed the websites of JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America are being carried out by the government of Iran.

General: Some EU states may no longer afford air forces

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

From Adrian Croft, Reuters:  Many European Union countries will not be able to afford key parts of their armed forces, such as air forces, in a few years unless they spend more and cooperate more closely on defence, the top EU military officer said on Wednesday.

Michele Dunne Discusses US Policy Toward Egypt on NPR

In the wake of protests that swept the Middle East, in response to the anti-Islam film, Innocence of Muslims, Michele Dunne, Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East spoke on NPR’s All Things Considered about the role the US administration can play in the aftermath. 

China tells EU to end arms ban

By Andrew Rettman, EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, EUobserver:  Chinese leader Wen Jiabao has bluntly told the EU to drop its ban on arms sales. He made the call in his opening remarks to top EU officials Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso at a summit in a stately home in Brussels on Thursday (20 September). "I have to […]

Egyptians Will Not Hand Over Weapons to Morsi / المصريون لن يسلموا مرسي أسلحتهم

By Magdy Samaan

A few days ago, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi announced a forthcoming amendment to the law on arms and ammunition.  The amendments provide immunity for anyone in possession of unlicensed weapons or ammunition, if the weapons are handed over to police within 180 days. The amendments also exempt them from civil penalties such as arms or […]

GALLUP: 95% of Libyans want militias disarmed immediately

By Jay Loschky, GALLUP

From Jay Loschky, GALLUP: Nearly all Libyans (95%) surveyed early this spring, before Tuesday’s deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, agreed that local militias should be required to hand in their weapons to authorities immediately.

The Mohamed Mahmoud Mural: Whitewashing Cairo’s Memory of the Past

By Soraya Morayef

Someone once asked if Cairo graffiti was a trend that would die out eventually. As a documenter of the past 18 months’ worth of street art around Cairo, I had noticed that most street art was sparked, influenced and shaped by politics. Graffiti was made for, during and after protests on the streets of Cairo, […]