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Irregular War: ISIS and The New Threat From The Margins

Over the past two years, several books have appeared focusing on Islamic State (IS). These have largely focused on its history, its ideological appeal or its propensity to make use of social media to spread its message of hate. Other publications have examined the subject matter from a military perspective – that of counter-insurgency. In Read More >

The Evolution of Islamic State’s Strategy

Despite having a vast number of forces arrayed against it – the United States-led coalition, Putin’s Moscow, Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah, Kurdish Peshmerga and the regimes in Baghdad and Damascus – Islamic State (IS) has expanded into other areas. Despite losing territory in Iraq and Syria, IS is growing in the Far East, the Read More >

Countering ISIS Online Propaganda

In the recent years, ISIS’ propaganda has become a major point of discussion among academicians and policy makers alike. The propaganda churned out by the group has reached massive proportions and has produced a certain quality just due to the numbers. Slick videos, graphic designs and remarkable photo shopping skills are characteristic of the group’s Read More >

Countering Violent Extremism

What Are Common Myths About CVE? 1-Extremists have some unique signs that can be Identified easily. ´Contrary to popular Perceptions, extremists can be ordinary citizens well-educated, well-off employed , have a family and  don’t suffer from poverty, marginalization, alienation or psychological disorder . ´They can blend in society and hide their convictions even from their Read More >

The Gulf in a Wider Context: Outside Nation-States in the Intensifying Iranian-Arab Security Competition

Russell contends that Iran’s relations with its Arab neighbors do not take place in a hermetically sealed regional environment. Rather, both Iran and the Arab states balance one another by leveraging relationships with nation-states from outside the Gulf. He addresses the role of foreign powers in shaping Iran-Arab relations. The chapter traces the evolution of Read More >

Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours

This book provides a detailed analysis of the complicated relations between Iran and its Arab neighbours. Arab perceptions of Iran, its regional policies and role in the Arab region, have never been more complicated than today. How is one to make sense of the increasingly complex and at times tense relationship between Iran and its Read More >

Shaking Things Up: Gulf Security after the Iran Deal

The situation in the Gulf was shaky at the start of 2015, and became more unsettled as the year went on and throughout 2016. Longstanding problems were generally not resolved, and new ones arose in the course of the last two years. The major outside effort to bring stability to the Gulf – the Iranian Read More >

What is Causing Radicalism in the MENA?

The emergence of Al-Qaeda as a global terrorist organization carrying out devastating strikes across the USA, Europe, Middle East and Africa shed a spotlight on terrorism, and by extension on radicalism. The attention has intensified with the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), its atrocities and the regional surge in Read More >

The particular role of religion in Islamic State

Religion, specifically Islam, is central to the identity of Islamic State (IS). It was on the basis of religious doctrine that IS separated from Al Qaeda. It is on the basis of his belonging to the same tribe as the Prophet Muhammed that Al-Baghdadi has legitimised his claims of leadership of the Muslim ummah. Moreover Read More >

The American Tradition of Orderly Political Transition

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 9, Donald J. Trump crossed the necessary threshold of 270 electoral votes and became the President-elect of the United States of America.  At noon on Friday, 20 January 2017, Mr. Trump will take the oath administered by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on the west Read More >