ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Hatem Bazian The use of drones against combatants and civilians is a pressing ethical question [EPA] In "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith", Anakin Skywalker's defection to the Dark Side is a critical moment of personal weakness and the political abandonment of the Jedi Order. In order to save his ailing wife but tricked into believing that the Jedi Knights are corrupt, Skywalker kneels before Darth Sidious and pledges his allegiance to the Sith Order. Upon rising, he is reborn as Darth Vader, thus cementing his transformation to the Dark Side of the Force - with the power of the Sith, the Empire's vast fleet, the clone armies, and the Death Star already under development. The Death Star becomes the most powerful military weapon and mobile base to pursue and destroy the Rebel Alliance. The successful "Star Wars" franchise captivated generations of worldwide audiences not only because it was - and still is - an enthralling science fiction drama, but

Anti-government students run away from tear gas shot by riot police during a protest in Caracas on Feb. 15. JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images Summary Venezuelan pro-government political activists -- known as "colectivos," or collectives -- have been at the center of political violence since the recent wave of protests began . Members of the colectivos reportedly have opened fire on several protests since Feb. 11, leading to deaths in at least one case. Although the government does not publicly sanction the colectivos' violent actions, members of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela have historical ties to these groups. National Assembly Speaker Diosdado Cabello was particularly influential in founding the colectivos. His ties to these groups are close enough that he was the one who announced the death of a pro-government Carapaica movement leader during a confrontation with opposition protesters Feb. 12. The colectivos are an important support base for the governm

Emergency personnel at the scene of the bombings in Beirut on Feb. 19. (-/AFP/Getty Images) Summary The leaders of Hezbollah and of the moderate Sunni political parties both want a truce, but the militant groups responsible for a string of attacks in Lebanon may have strayed too far to be reined in. Attacks have grown more frequent -- the most recent, a double bombing in Beirut on Feb. 19, killed five and wounded more than 100 -- but there is no clear increase in their magnitude or sophistication. This lack of progress is likely the result of shortcomings in the attackers' planning and surveillance. The attacks still generate some psychological pressure, but they do not inflict the devastating physical damage the Sunni groups intend. Nevertheless, Hezbollah is striving to do more to neutralize the threat. Analysis Suicide bombers detonated two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices during morning rush hour Feb. 19 in Beirut's southern suburbs near the Iranian Chancellery.

Robert D. Kaplan and Matt Gertken Once upon a time Thailand was the bulwark of American power in the heart of Southeast Asia. It was a strong, anti-communist state that was easy to govern because of a rich agricultural heartland protected by mountains and the relative absence of ethnic or religious conflict. Great moral authority emanated from the royal palace under King Bhumibol Adulyadej, still on the throne today, whose pillars of power were the Royal Thai Army, noble families and bureaucratic elites and the reverent masses. The military was, in turn, buttressed by force of arms, the king's aura, American patronage and control of state corporations. Rice farming was the basis of the economy, and the peasant farmers revered the king, who dispensed wisdom, infrastructure funds and development aid. The oldest U.S. ally in the region, Thailand served as a staging post for the American military during the Vietnam War. Thailand had other advantages, too. It formed an identifiable nat

Riot police take down a Ukrainian flag hung by protesters on a streetlight in Independence Square, Kiev, on Feb. 19. (BRENDAN HOFFMAN/Getty Images) Analysis Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich fired Commander of the Armed Forces and Chief of the General Staff Volodymyr Zaman on Feb. 19, replacing him with Navy Commander Vice Adm. Yuriy Ilyin. The reshuffle comes as Yanukovich is facing a decision about whether to use the Ukrainian military to quell uprisings across the country . The Ukrainian government thus far has restrained from using the military to crack down on protests, which briefly intensified Feb. 18 in Kiev . So far, police forces have been relatively successful in containing more radical protesters within Independence Square, also known as Maidan, but have not yet attempted to clear them -- something for which Yanukovich could theoretically use the military. Rather than use the military, Yanukovich has capitalized on the protests' radicalization, increasing sentiment

By Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Gallagher  - " First Look " - Top-secret documents from the National Security Agency and its British counterpart reveal for the first time how the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom targeted WikiLeaks and other activist groups with tactics ranging from covert surveillance to prosecution. The efforts – detailed in documents provided previously by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden – included a broad campaign of international pressure aimed not only at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, but at what the U.S. government calls “the human network that supports WikiLeaks.” The documents also contain internal discussions about targeting the file-sharing site Pirate Bay and hacktivist collectives such as Anonymous. One classified document from Government Communications Headquarters, Britain’s top spy agency, shows that GCHQ used its surveillance system to secretly monitor visitors to a WikiLeaks site. By exploiting its ability to tap into

Tuesday was the deadliest day yet in Ukraine's political crisis as protesters fought with police outside the parliament building in Kiev. At least 19 people were killed in the clashes, which escalated after the parliament failed to consider the opposition's proposals for constitutional reforms. Police have since advanced on Independence Square, the heart of the anti-government movement, but so far they have yet to enter it; its occupants erected barricades that they then set on fire. A spokesman for Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has insisted that the government does not want to disperse the protesters forcibly. Hundreds of protesters carrying sticks and incendiary devices occupied a building belonging to the Ministry of Defense, but what differentiates Tuesday's protests from earlier ones is that Ukrainians actually set fire to government buildings, including the ruling Party of Regions' headquarters and the Kiev city administration building. The protests have

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (C), Vice President Wu Den-yih (L) and Premier Jiang Yi-huah (R) at a flag-raising ceremony in Taipei on Jan. 1. (Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Taiwanese envoys to 16 countries in the greater Pacific Ocean basin region convened in Taipei on Feb. 17. They received an update on Taiwan's efforts to join the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. China is a key negotiator in the latter of the two prospective multilateral trade agreements. The seminar is one of several indicators that Taipei does not intend to let the island stray too far into China's unilateral economic orbit, even as it looks to cement new trade agreements with the mainland. Joining international institutions such as the World Trade Organization -- and cementing bilateral trade agreements with regional partners such as Singapore and New Zealand -- is not only a means to enhance Taiwan's economic competitiveness. More fundam