HISTORY
Defense & Foreign Affairs has turned 50. It has lived through a transformative period, but one which serves only as a prelude to a totally new era. Should we be celebrating? Or should we be equipping ourselves for a very different future? The answer is surprisingly positive.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
Anything your adversary (a) wants you to do, (b) goads you to do, (c) offers to you as a gift, or (c) says you will do is almost certainly something you do not want to do. The Ukraine conflict was, by April 2022, offering a wide range of strategic, actical, and technological lessons.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Could a military intervention be the only answer if the system becomes more stressed, and external pressures threaten the break-up of Ethiopia?
RESOURCES
Beijing finally has the chance to throw off some of its dependency on US food supplies, giving it an enormous new lease of strategic freedom.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
It is said that no plan of campaign survives beyond the first shot fired. But, in the case of the Russia-Ukraine military campaign of February-March 2022, and — most importantly — all that contrived to its beginning, some trends and lessons are already visible.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
The Solomons and Kiribati moves place the PRC into the South Pacific, beyond the First Island Chain. This would inhibit AUKUS’ ability to protect Taiwan in the event of war. It would also put the PRC astride the junction of major undersea comms cables near the Solomons.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
The People’s Liberation Army has made impressive gains. Does it matter?
AFRICA
Washington, the Americas, and the Tragedy of PuYi: How the US awakes and finds itself isolated in its own region.
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
Mali’s rejection of outside influences spelled a major reverse in Africa for France, the West, and ECOWAS, but it brought no joy for Beijing, or for regional or global governance.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
It started as an information dominance campaign carried out abroad to distract US voters from the unpopularity of their government, running up to new elections. But it has placed Ukraine in a no-win situation, and has already led to a profound and lasting division in NATO.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” — Matthew 24:6 in the New Testament.