ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

By Mark Urban November 07, 2013 -  Saudi Arabia has invested in Pakistani nuclear weapons projects, and believes it could obtain atomic bombs at will, a variety of sources have told BBC Newsnight. While the kingdom's quest has often been set in the context of countering Iran's atomic programme, it is now possible that the Saudis might be able to deploy such devices more quickly than the Islamic republic. Earlier this year, a senior Nato decision maker told me that he had seen intelligence reporting that nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery. Last month Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, told a conference in Sweden that if Iran got the bomb, "the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb, they will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring." Since 2009, when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia warned visiting US special envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross that if Ir...

The bodies of 30 Christian civilians, including women and children, killed by Islamist militias, have been found in two separate mass graves, in the city of Sadad. The number of Christian civilians confirmed dead in this small town halfway between Homs and Damascus has reached 45. Many are injured and several are missing. The city of Sadad, a Christian settlement, was invaded and occupied by Islamist militias on 21 October. It was recaptured in recent days by the Syrian regular army. When the representatives of the Patriarchate and families of the victims returned to their town they found to their horror two mass graves, where they found the bodies of their relatives and friends. In an atmosphere of grief, outrage and emotion, the funerals of the 30 Christians were celebrated by Archbishop Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh, Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of Homs and Hama. . According to eyewitnesses, many of the civilians were killed by militia gangs of 'Al- Nusra Front' and 'Daash...

South Korean prime Samsung Techwin has completed development and firing trials of a new generation remote weapon station (RWS) for the BAE Systems AAV7A1 (LVTP7A1) amphibious assault vehicle (AAV) used by the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (RoKMC). The RWS was shown integrated onto an AAV7A1 at the Seoul Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX 2013) in late October. A Samsung Techwin official told IHS Jane's on 6 November that the system was not yet in service with the RoKMC and was unable to confirm when it may be fielded. The AAV7A1 has been manufactured in South Korea since 1997 under a co-production contract signed by BAE Systems and Samsung Techwin. About 160 variants are believed to be in service with the RoKMC. A BAE Systems/Samsung Techwin AAV7A1 amphibious assault vehicle fitted with applique armour and showing a new Samsung Techwin RWS mounted in place of the standard manned turret. (IHS/James Hardy) The standard AAV7A1 has a manned turret armed with a .50 calibre ...

Summary China's new administration will introduce its economic reform agenda at the Communist Party's Third Plenary Session on Nov. 9-12, with an emphasis on continuing to adapt market-oriented policies for the regime's political purposes. The government hopes to use some elements of capitalism to increase efficiency and forestall economic stagnation while retaining central control over political institutions and core industries in order to avoid liberalizing too rapidly and inducing a post-Soviet-style shock. Simultaneously, Chinese leaders are attempting to make a credible effort to convince a broad swath of the public that their concerns -- over livelihoods, pollution, health, education and official corruption, among other things -- are being addressed. One particularly important element of reform is allowing prices on various goods and services to move with fewer restrictions. This could help curb excesses in resource-intensive heavy industry and encourage new growth ...

Summary The Mexican government is taking steps to limit the effect of instability on critical infrastructure that is vital to the functioning of the country's economy. On Nov. 3, the government sent the military to take over security at one of Mexico's most important ports, Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan state. In addition, due to complaints of collusion, the military disarmed the Lazaro Cardenas municipal police and submitted them and select customs officials to background checks and training. The military's deployment is part of a larger trend unfolding over the past year in which the federal government is becoming increasingly concerned with instability in the western state of Michoacan. Insecurity has been a perennial issue in Michoacan, but intercartel violence and the emergence and proliferation of community vigilante groups have exacerbated existing problems. Analysis Security in Michoacan state has become more precarious in 2013. Organized crime-related violence and ...

Scientists find at least 18 times the normal levels of radioactive element in late Palestinian leader’s remains. By David Poort and Ken Silverstein November 06, 2013 - " Al-Jazeera " -- Paris, France - Swiss scientists who conducted tests on samples taken from Yasser Arafat’s body have found at least 18 times the normal levels of radioactive polonium in his remains. The scientists said that they were confident up to an 83 percent level that the late Palestinian leader was poisoned with it, which they said “moderately supports” polonium as the cause of his death. A 108-page report by the University Centre of Legal Medicine in Lausanne, which was obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera, found unnaturally high levels of polonium in Arafat’s ribs and pelvis, and in soil stained with his decaying organs. The Swiss scientists, along with French and Russian teams, obtained the samples last November after his body was exhumed from a mausoleum in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Dave B...

By John Pilger The corridors of the Australian parliament are so white you squint. The sound is hushed; the smell is floor polish. The wooden floors shine so virtuously they reflect the cartoon portraits of prime ministers and rows of Aboriginal paintings, suspended on white walls, their blood and tears invisible. The parliament stands in Barton, a suburb of Canberra named after the first prime minister of Australia, Edmund Barton, who drew up the White Australia Policy in 1901. "The doctrine of the equality of man," said Barton, "was never intended to apply" to those not British and white-skinned. Barton's concern was the Chinese, known as the Yellow Peril; he made no mention of the oldest, most enduring human presence on earth: the first Australians. They did not exist. Their sophisticated care of a harsh land was of no interest. Their epic resistance did not happen. Of those who fought the British invaders of Australia, the Sydney Monitor reported in 1838: ...

Summary Following the expropriation of YPF a year ago, Argentina has made it a national priority to revitalize the country's declining energy sector. Buenos Aires reviewed the regulatory system for hydrocarbon producers and has selectively improved terms to lure investment. These efforts appear to have yielded some success, with major energy companies Chevron and Total signing deals in recent months. Despite renewed interest, however, a full recovery of the energy sector is dependent on a political transition. For the remainder of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's second term, Argentina will most likely continue to rely on oil and natural gas imports. This will continue to damage the country's national accounts and hold back economic progress. Even if a new political alternative emerges, reversing a decade of government subsidization will be a daunting task. Analysis Argentina's energy sector has been deteriorating for much of the past decade, with pr...