ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Forbes Great fortunes are notoriously easy to lose. Not so for the nation’s 25 richest clans, who’ve bucked the odds and held onto their wealth over generations, in some cases since the late 1800s. Collectively they are worth $722 billion this year, $11 billion less than the top 25 were a year ago. These scions and builders of America’s great businesses own brands like Campbell Soup CPB +1.71% , Windex, Hyatt Hotels H -1.89% , OxyContin and more. Among this elite group are familiar families like the Waltons and Rockefellers and lesser-knowns like the Sacklers . One newcomer is likely the least known of all: the Goldman family , whose late patriarch Sol quietly purchased hundreds of properties across New York City. Until now, the family has succeeded in keeping the size and reach of their sprawling real estate empire largely under wraps. The Waltons are the wealthiest family in the U.S., and have been for the three years that FORBES has tracked the wealth of America’s Richest Famil

Exclusive: In a world darkened by war and disorder, a rare glimmer of optimism broke through as Colombia’s government signed a long-delayed peace accord with the country’s primary guerrilla movement, as Jonathan Marshall describes. By Jonathan Marshall With terrorist massacres hitting the news every few days, and financial markets reeling over the uncertain future of Europe, it’s no wonder pundits like Roger Cohen of the New York Times are warning that “the forces of disintegration are on the march” and “the foundations of the postwar world … are trembling.” But the news media have given only glancing coverage to one of the most positive developments of our time: the end to 52 years of armed conflict between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos. That bloody war took the lives of a quarter million people and displaced another 6.9 million, more even than in Syria . It produced countless crimes and atro

The US Supreme Court granted the long-standing aspirations of the local Ministry of Justice and the US intelligence agencies to “hack” computers around the world- to combat terrorism of course. However, any clarification is unlikely to appease people who value the integrity of personal space. The US Justice Department insisted on the introduction of relevant amendments to the federal criminal law since 2013. The agency’s position can be divided into two components: It is necessary to fight against terrorism, and all legal means are good for that The existing legislation is vulnerable, and it allows villains to insolently use “anonymizing” software and other technical gadgets to conceal their identities. The proposed expansion of rights to special services in the Ministry of Justice of the United States is considered “minor” by the Establishment. It also seems that they are genuinely puzzled about the ferocity of the cries of human rights defenders and their shouts to go back to the

China calls its allies to intensify counterterrorism efforts. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Heads of State Summit took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in June 2016. Counterterrorism operations were one of the main topics of the Summit. Chinese experts believe that the situation in Syria needs special attention from the SCO members states, as the ISIS terrorist group poses a serious threat to the security of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Russia, as well as the surrounding regions, including the Middle East and the Caucasus. This explains why China believes that SCO member states should coordinate their efforts over the implementation of countermeasures against Jihadi groups. Currently, an estimated number of 2500 Chinese troops are deployed as part of UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, South Sudan and Mali. Rumors are circulating that the Chinese leadership is going to deploy up to 10000 troops in the Middle East, as soon as the Chinese military base in Djibouti is ready. Th

Click to see the full-size map The most important developments of the day: The Syrian army gained the ground in the Mallah Farms near and in the Layramoun district in Aleppo city The Syrian army seized the strategic town of Saraf in northern Latakia The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces repelled the ISIS attempts to counter attack near the city of Manbij Click to see the full-size map

President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation is alarmed by the possible encroachment of NATO reaching Finland. This is based on the shared border between the Russian Federation and Finland along with the reality of NATO creating new major geopolitical concerns. Therefore, while political elites in Moscow fully respect the democratic rights of the people of Finland, the reality is that NATO membership of this nation will lead to counter-measures by the Russian Federation. Putin pointedly reminded Finland that the current status quo benefits both nations. After all, military forces of the Russian Federation have been kept at a firm distance from border areas. This measure was implemented by Moscow based on the need to reassure Finland. At the same time, Putin wanted to show his full appreciation towards elites in Helsinki for the neutral stance taken by this nation in the realm of geopolitics. However, if Finland decides to join NATO then mutual respect would take a battering given

Sunni Islamists are butchering innocents in countless nations and the atmosphere is now turning dark in modern day Bangladesh. After all, in recent times bloggers, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Secularists, writers, and anyone deemed un-Islamic, have been targeted. Of course, in the mindset of Sunni Takfiris then minority Muslim sects including the Ahmadiyya and Shia face the wrath of these sectarian terrorists. Therefore, the singling out of non-Muslims for slaughter in the capital of Bangladesh resembles the systematic targeting of Christians in Kenya and the butchering of Shia Muslims in several nations at the hands of Sunni Takfiris. According to initial reports, 20 people were killed in a well-known restaurant in Dhaka after armed Sunni Islamists stormed this place. A state of panic ensued and hostages were taken. Immediately non-Muslims feared the worse because Muslims became separated from the future slaughter. Associated Press (France 24) reports “The attack marks an escalatio