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Americas

Chapter Two: Al-Qa'ida's New Beginning?
Commentary, 29 June 2011
The 'information-space' is always vital for Al-Qa'ida's operational effectiveness. Its ability to make swift statements in the media and through the internet demonstrates the terror-network's potency and ability to reach a mass audience. Yet, since Bin Laden's death, we have seen the US dominate the media with stories about both the man and the organisation, demystifying both.
Tags: Americas, Terrorism
Obama's UK Speech: A Strategic Challenge for Europe?
Commentary, 27 May 2011
Behind his warm and effusive speech to the great and the good in Parliament, President Obama laid out a subtle but serious challenge to Europe's leaders. Europe, and by extension the UK, will be farther down America's foreign policy priorities unless Europe is willing to step up as a truly global partner.
Tags: Americas, Europe
Putting the Arctic Boom on Ice: Proceedings of RUSI Arctic Roundtable
Commentary, 11 May 2011
On 12 May 2011, foreign ministers from the eight Arctic countries will participate in the seventh summit of the Arctic Council, an organisation initially forged to secure agreed environmental standards for the region. Now, amid growing interest in the opportunities and challenges energy resources and sea lines of communication present, the Council must reform to meet the interests of global...
Tags: Americas, International Institutions, Europe
The Killing of Osama: Easy Operation as a result of Hard Intelligence
Commentary, 6 May 2011
The audacious operation that killed Osama Bin Laden was completed relatively shortly. It reaped the benefits of a careful intelligence operation that lasted months, if not years.
Tags: Americas, Intelligence, Terrorism, Central and South Asia
Rescuing the Rebels
Commentary, 29 March 2011
Western policymakers may weigh up a number of ways to help the rebels in Libya - what should not be in doubt, however, is their obligation to provide some much-needed assistance.
Tags: Americas, Global Security Issues, International Institutions, Law and Ethics, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Opening Pandora’s Box
Commentary, 28 March 2011
As North America publicy confronts the issue of radicalization, those involved would do well to observe the lessons of the UK's experience - but have thus far shown little inclination to do so.
Tags: Americas, Global Security Issues, Information, Terrorism, EuropePages

Not with a bang but a whimper: Europe’s pending denuclearisation
Commentary, 12 March 2010Within the next decade, European aircraft capable of delivering US nuclear weapons are due to be withdrawn from service. What are the options available to NATO in the debate over the continuance of its tactical nuclear capability?
Americas, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, International Institutions
National Crises and the Utility of Naval Power: The Haiti Case Study
Commentary, 16 February 2010With the recent publication of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) Green Paper and an upcoming Strategic Defence Review (SDR), the debate over future UK defence reform has been fierce. The international response to the Haitian disaster has proven to be a case study in how important high-end naval assets can be to a wide range of UK national interests.
Americas, Maritime Forces, UK Defence, Europe
What Will Success Look Like in Operation Moshtarak?
Commentary, 16 February 2010Operation Moshtarak is the most important campaign in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. Its success, however, will not be measured in military terms but in terms of public opinion, both in Helmand and the rest of Afghanistan and in the Coalition's domestic electorate.
Americas, International Institutions, Land Forces, Europe, Central and South Asia
The US Administration’s new Missile Defence plans
Commentary, 16 February 2010The Obama Administration has outlined a refocusing of the United States missile defence plans, revising the approach previously taken by the Bush White House. Central to the plan is the deployment of more mobile systems that could assuage the once sceptical Russians.
Aerospace, Americas, Defence Policy, Technology, Europe
Droning on: the American bolt from the blue
Commentary, 8 February 2010The latest Quadrennial Defense Review promises to increase the numbers, sophistication and use of unmanned aerial vehicles, known as drones. Their use has rendered the boundaries of the theatres of war more fluid, requiring the rapid integration of this weapon to be piloted more carefully than ever before.
Aerospace, Americas, Defence Policy
Fighting for the soul of Western militaries
New UK Government Initiative to Support High-Risk, High-Reward Military Science Needs Refinement
New Zealand's Indo-Pacific Recalibration