Japan's change in military outlook marks the end of a 'Peace State'
Dec 26, 2016 01:00 am UTC| Insights & Views
Thanks to the constitution imposed on its citizens by the US after the end of World War II, Japan has long been thought of by pacifists as a Peace State. Article 9 of the constitution states that: The Japanese people...
Biggest Geo political risks of 2017
Dec 23, 2016 11:37 am UTC| Commentary
The following four geopolitical events are likely to shape the year 2017. French election: After UK referendum outcome in June, where Britons voted to exit the European Union and Republican candidate Donald Trumps...
Why Donald Trump's China policy is a trade war in the making
Dec 23, 2016 01:08 am UTC| Insights & Views
Donald Trumps telephone call with the president of Taiwan shortly after he won the vote to become the next president of the US caused a diplomatic stir. Some attributed it to Trumps ignorance of diplomatic protocol which...
How heartbreaking images from Aleppo could actually change international norms
Dec 22, 2016 11:41 am UTC| Insights & Views
The siege of Aleppo is a mass atrocity with unprecedented levels of visibility. Confronted with the horrific images of a destroyed city, and the testimonies of wounded survivors using social media to reach out to the...
Turkey turns closer to Russia after ambassador assassination
Dec 22, 2016 11:35 am UTC| Insights & Views
The assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey G Karlov, by an off-duty Turkish police officer in the Turkish capital Ankara appeared, at first glance, to be a game changer in the ongoing Syrian war. When...
Turkey and Russia's relationship is strong enough to survive ambassador's murder
Dec 21, 2016 11:05 am UTC| Insights & Views
When Russias Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot dead during a photo exhibition in the Turkish capital of Ankara, it threatened to deal a terrible blow to one of the worlds most important and most sensitive...
A new world order takes shape in the wake of a resurgent Russia
Dec 21, 2016 10:21 am UTC| Insights & Views
A top Israeli intelligence official put it this way when describing a highly complex set of security threats and challenges confronting a Middle East in turmoil. Rather than dealing with upheaval in black and white, he...
South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed
Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects