Defense & Security

Recent negotiations between the U.S. peace envoy Zalmai Khalilzad and the Taliban’s newly appointed political chief Mullah Ghani Baradar have made rare progress, bringing the two sides closer to signing a pact.  Negotiations in Doha, Qatar—the location of the Taliban's political office—were followed by a conference in Moscow where members of…

Negotiating with extremist groups—militant or otherwise—undermines the state's sovereignty and security. In January 2019—in a landmark turn of events—the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted and ordered the immediate release of Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman accused of blasphemy and placed on death row in 2010. While her release was cause for…

Great power competition between the United States and China will define the geopolitical landscape of East Asia. The Indo-Pacific region will see a fundamental shift in the geopolitical status quo throughout 2019. This shift is the result of many factors, but the most prominent is China’s rise as a political, economic, and military great power.…

Since Prime Minister Theresa May and then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced in 2016 a new Global Britain approach to the United Kingdom's (UK) position on the world stage, much speculation has been cast over precisely what this approach entails. A report recently released by the Henry Jackson Society's Global Britain program offers a more…

In previous years, interest in the Middle East was largely focused on ISIS (DAESH). This year, however, that focus will shift towards Iran. As the threat from the extremist Sunni group dwindled, Iran-backed militias have been strengthening their foothold in the region. In Iraq, Tehran is working to integrate Shia militia forces into the Iraqi…

Iranians are skilled in the localization of almost anything Western or foreign. This is partly because of the nationalist, anti-imperialist promises of the 1979 revolution, and partly due to U.S. and international sanctions. These localization capabilities are evident in the manipulated designs and the partial or complete renaming of…

Besides having long term economic consequences for both the British and the European economies, Brexit will likely have security implications that may weaken the interlocking web of Western institutions and alliances that maintained peace and stability on the continent. This is because one of the long-term impacts of Brexit will be on the…

China learned the value of hard power during its so-called “century of humiliation.” Now, as China begins its century of expansion, it’s learning to use soft power, too. In reference to China’s foreign policy strategy, Deng Xiaoping once said: “hide your strength, bide your time.” For three decades, Chinese foreign policy was implemented…

Modern wars are fought with eyes and ears on the ground, air, and cyberspace. In Afghanistan, the U.S. and its allies have deployed cutting-edge aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. What is missing, however, is good human intelligence (HUMINT) collection capabilities. Afghans have been entrusted with the task…

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected by land, air, sea, and cyberspace, tensions and uncertainty are growing. These trends are particularly evident in Europe, where elections, treaties, and other events will reshape the continent. Before the end of 2018, the Italian government and the European Union were locked in a dispute over…