ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: US NAVY / Reuters On November 5 th , Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa claimed that the country “will consider” hosting US warships if Washington were to ask to use the largest Spratly Islands in the South China Sea for security purposes. Yen De-Fa was answering hypothetical questions of a member of the opposition, Johnny Chiang in the Legislative Yuan. According to the Defense Minister, US warships could also possibly be allowed to dock at Taiping island, which is under Taipei’s control for humanitarian operations. Yen told Chiang that despite the island being for humanitarian purposes, the Taiwan government would consider using it for regional security if that suited the country’s interests. “If it is based on security concerns that would affect the region, we will consider that,” Yen said. “This must also be in line with our national interests.” According to Chiang, the regular presence of US aircraft carriers in the South China Sea ...

The Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs released  a study on the Human Cost of the Post-9/11 US Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan . Syria was not included in the study. Neta C. Crawford carried out the research. Overall, according to the study between 480,000 and 507,000 people have been killed in all of the conflicts. These include counts and estimates of direct deaths caused by war violence. The deaths in Syria, so far, are near 500,000 more, since 2011, with the US officially joining in August 2014. From the table it becomes apparent that even with the highest estimations in Iraq, the US and its allies have lost more troops than the “enemy.” However it should be noted that there are massive civilian casualties in all conflicts, with the one in Iraq outnumbering soldier deaths by a fair margin. Thus, the chances of being killed in a war if a person is a civilian in the Middle East is higher than they are a soldier or a militant. ...

As reported last week, shortly after SWIFT caved to US pressure and defied the EU announcing it would cut off a selection of Iranian banks, on Monday, the US Treasury said the Iranian Central Bank has been officially cut off the SWIFT financial messaging system. The disconnection, which comes at a time when Iran’s economy is reeling and its currency is tumbling as a result of restricted oil exports (albeit offset by numerous temporary waivers for top Iranian oil clients), will made it far more difficult for the Islamic Republic to settle import and export bills. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the move is “the right decision to protect the integrity of the international financial system”, and comes after several days planning by SWIFT. Steven Mnuchin ✔ @stevenmnuchin1 I understand that SWIFT will be discontinuing service to the Central Bank of Iran and designated Iranian financial institutions. SWIFT is making the right decision to protect the integ...

Israel is actively employing its Iron Dome anti-ballistic missile system  during the ongoing military escalation over the Gaza Strip . According to fresh reports, Palestinain forces have launched over 400 projectiles at targets in southern Israel since October 12. The Israeli military claims that at least 100 of these rockets were intercepted. Israel’s Iron Dome ABM System. Threats, Peculiarities and Development Prospects Iron Dome Origins Since its inception, Israel has faced difficult political and military challenges. It defines the operational space in which IDF exists, the nature of development of its armed forces, and of individual weapons systems it uses. The key objective and permanent factors include: Israel’s geography, with the 470km-long country being no more than 135km wide. Hostile environment, including unresolved territorial disputes with neighbors and the Palestinian problem. Close proximity to borders of major cities and critical infrastructure. ...