ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

By Reva Bhalla Vice President of Global Affairs The state of Israel has a  basic, inescapable geopolitical dilemma : Its national security requirements outstrip its military capabilities, making it dependent on an outside power. Not only must that power have significant military capabilities but it also must have enough common ground with Israel to align its foreign policy toward the Arab world with that of Israel's. These are rather heavy requirements for such a small nation. Security, in the Israeli sense, is thus often characterized in terms of survival. And for Israel to survive, it needs just the right blend of geopolitical circumstance, complex diplomatic arrangements and military preparedness to respond to potential threats nearby. Over the past 33 years, a sense of complacency settled over Israel and gave rise to various theories that it could finally overcome its dependency on outside powers. But a familiar sense of unease crept back into the Israeli psyche before a

  The collapse of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti's government became inevitable on December 8, when the technocratic leader made it clear to President Giorgio Napolitano that he would not be held hostage by the parties of the centre-right. As a result, Italy will go to the polls early, with national elections looking set to be held sometime in February. This also means that centre-right leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has just over two months to campaign against austerity measures and decry German leadership in European affairs. Monti will still be able to pass his government's budget this December -- the centre-right has committed itself to support it -- but that is about as much stability as Italians can expect. Monti's official resignation will take effect once the budget is passed.   Into the abyss?   It is not unreasonable to ask, therefore: "Is Italy falling into an abyss?" Indeed, this was the first question European C

Gunmen shoot dead women's affairs official in Laghman, while Nimroz province police chief dies in roadside bombing. Last Modified: 10 Dec 2012 07:36 Suspected Taliban fighters have assassinated an Afghan women's affairs official in Laghman province, just months after her predecessor was blown up by a bomb, while a police chief was killed in a roadside bombing in Herat province. Nadia Sidiqi, the acting director of the women's affairs department in the eastern province of Laghman, was shot dead by two unidentified men while commuting in a motorised rickshaw on Monday. "We have launched an investigation and we have sealed off the area where the attack took place and we will very soon capture the attackers," Laghman police chief Ahmad Sherzad told AFP news agency. In a separate attack, General Mohammad Musa Rasoli, the provincial police chief of Nimroz, was killed when his vehicle was struck by a bomb in Adraskan district of Herat province, while h

Inside Story Americas   http://aje.me/VBsxfs We discuss Mali's crisis, plus, what the Senate's disabilities vote says about US politics. Inside Story Americas Last Modified: 07 Dec 2012 11:27   US military planners prepare to support a multi-national African force to intervene in northern Mali - in an attempt to roll back al-Qaeda in the region. Pentagon officials are working with African nations ahead of possible international military action against al-Qaeda-linked groups in northern Mali. The Obama administration, however, says US involvement will be limited to helping with military planning, working alongside partners in ECOWAS, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States, and the African Union. There has been growing international concern over Mali’s north, an area the size of Texas, which was taken by islamic fighters " There really is no case where it wouldn't do more harm than good, but we are talki

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The pact signed on 15 October 2012 between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine government is a breakthrough in many ways but is far from a final peace. As with earlier texts signed over years of negotiations, this one – the “framework agreement” – defers several tough questions and it is unclear how, if ever, they will be resolved. At stake is the creation of a genuinely autonomous region in Muslim-majority Mindanao for the various ethnic groups collectively known as the Bangsa­moro, with more powers, more territory and more control over resources. The framework agreement envisions a new government for the troubled Muslim south that would raise its own revenues and have its own police and judiciary. It maps out a multi-step process to create this new entity by the time President Benigno Aquino III’s term ends in 2016. The obstacles ahead are huge. Politics in Mindanao or Manila could get in the way, and it may be impossible to devolve suffic

By  Toshi Yoshihara , Special to CNN Editor’s note: Toshi Yoshihara is John A. van Beuren Chair of Asia-Pacific Studies at the U.S. Naval War College. The views expressed are his own. The Imperial Japanese Navy’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor remains a popular, if somewhat tired, metaphor for the dangers of unpreparedness and overexposure to risk. For years analysts and policymakers have warned Americans about all kinds of new Pearl Harbors in space, cyberspace, the global financial markets, and even the earth’s climate. But the real possibility that U.S. bases in the western Pacific could once again be vulnerable to a bolt-from-the-blue military attack has occasioned little publicity or debate. Yet it should take no stretched metaphors to appreciate this emerging threat. This time, China – armed with a large and growing arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles – is poised to reprise Pearl Harbor. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) now possesses the means, the motives

December 8, 2012 -- Updated 1655 GMT (0055 HKT) Morsy: I will not allow murder, sabotage STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW:  Islamic Alliance rejects any postonement in December 15 constitutional referendum Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy has called for talks to bridge a political divide An opposition leader has called for a boycott of the talks Egypt's military leaders say they are keeping an eye on the political upheava l Cairo (CNN)  -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy is pushing forward with talks Saturday in an attempt to end a political crisis that threatens Egypt's stability, despite calls by the opposition to boycott the meeting. Morsy's call for talks is an attempt to end a political divide that has spilled into the streets, pitting the president's supporters and opponents against one another and raising questions about his ability to lead the fragile democracy. Egyptian authorities said at least six people were killed in violent cla

Ethnic Kachin people sit in the doorways of shelters at a temporary camp for people displaced by fighting between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, outside the city of Myitkyina in the north of the country, February 22, 2012. REUTERS/Soe Zeya BANGKOK (AlertNet) – The United Nations humanitarian urged donors on Saturday to fill a $41 million funding shortfall to help thousands of people displaced by sectarian conflict in western Myanmar, describing conditions at their camps as among the worst she has seen. The UN has received only $27 million out of $68 million needed over the next nine months for some 115,000 people displaced by two waves of violence between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine State, said Valerie Amos, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, at a news conference in Bangkok. Inadequate funding “is seriously limiting our capacity to respond,” said Amos after a six-day trip to Bangladesh and Myanmar.