25 to 27 March 2022 – The NESA Center and its partner, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), co-hosted the sixth annual South Asian Strategic Forum in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This unique Track 1.5 dialogue brought together 40 participants from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the UK, and the U.S. for focused discussion of the Read More >
By: LTC Ali Albedwawi, UAE MOD, CSAG CCJ5 25 Mar 2022 Overview: Egypt’s geopolitical importance lies in being open to different geopolitical dimensions at the same time. It overlooks the North African region from the east, connects to the African depth from the north, Sinai allows it to connect with the Middle East and the Read More >
27 February 2022 – The Strategic Initiatives Office (SIO) and the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA Center) formally presented the culmination of over 18 months of the team’s work on the Target Operating Model (TOM) for the Saudi Arabian National Defense University (SANDU). This work was an international project of 30 Read More >
17 January – 9 March 2022 – The NESA Center Military Advisor to the Saudi Arabia Armed Forces Command and Staff College, COL William “Bill” Stephens, funded through an FMS case, presented on multiple topics during the inaugural International Humanitarian Law Course for Saudi Arabia. This 8-week course was offered to twenty-six students and two Read More >
By: CDR Hubert MROZ, POL Navy, CSAG CCJ5 24 Feb 2022 Overview: On January 2, 2002, people took to the streets to protest high fuel prices in Zhanaozen and Aktau, major cities in the Mangystau region of western Kazakhstan. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) doubled its price from an equivalent of 11 to 23 cents (USD). Read More >
By: LTC Madalin Iordache, ROU Army, CSAG CCJ5 09 Feb 2022 Introduction: On September 24th, 2014, the Houthis rebels, endorsed by former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his loyalist forces, seized control of the historic Yemen capital Sana’a and overthrew the government of Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the president at the time. It is the Read More >
By: CDR Hubert MROZ, POL Navy, CSAG CCJ5 25 Jan 2022 Introduction: Central Asia was once a geostrategic nexus during the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, when the British Empire and the Russian Empire were entangled in what was called “the Great Game” – a political and diplomatic confrontation over regional leverages. Read More >
By: LTC Jussi Puustinen, FIN Army, CSAG CCJ5 21 Jan 2022 Background: Russia has been very consistent about its messaging on the possibility of the re-establishment of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions (JCPOA). Russia is supporting narrative about Iran’s willingness to return to the nuclear deal. In this case, Russia uncommonly shares the views Read More >
LTC Jussi Puustinen, FIN Army, CSAG CCJ5 11 Jan 2022 Introduction: The origins of ISKP are in the chaos and turmoil of the last decade’s situation in Afghanistan and (western fought) wars in the Middle East. ISIS/Daesh affiliate ISKP (The Islamic State Khorasan Providence, also known with acronyms ISIS-K, IS-K, ISK) was fought against and Read More >
By: LTC Arjen Wassink, NLD Army, CSAG CCJ5 29 Nov 2021 Introduction: The common perception of Iran’s threat is through its regional deployment and use of proxies, its tactical ballistic missiles, and the progressive enrichment of uranium to build a nuclear weapon. While it is possible that the US will return to the Joint Comprehensive Read More >