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China’s Covert Support of the Houthis
Introduction After the October 7 attack in 2023 by Hamas on Israel, the Houthi rebels opened their playbook against the Israelis on 14 November 2023 when the rebel group’s leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi announced: “Our eyes are open to constantly monitor and search for any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, especially in the Bab al-Mandab,…
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Ismail Haniyeh Assassination: Escalating Tensions in Middle East
By Vishesh Singh Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination on 31st July 2024 in Tehran marks a significant escalation in Middle Eastern tensions. Blamed on Israel, this act could provoke severe retaliation from Iran and its proxies, potentially igniting a broader regional conflict. Haniyeh was in Iran for the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian…
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The “Neo-Cold War” in the Indian Ocean Region
Addressing an event last week at London’s Oxford University, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said some people are seeing “imaginary Chinese Naval bases in Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the Hambantota Port (in southern Sri Lanka) is a commercial joint venture between our Ports Authority and China Merchants – a company listed on the Hong Kong…
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Unintended Intelligence Consequences: How Yesterday’s Proxy Insurgents turned into Today’s Terrorists
Introduction During the Cold War, nations were increasingly sponsoring and/or supporting insurgencies. For instance, the United States of America supported Afghan-Mujahedin, Nicaraguan Contras, and Tibetan Buddhist fighters. The Soviet Union supported communist guerrillas in Angola, Greece, and South Africa. China supported insurgents in Vietnam. India supported Sri Lankan Tamil rebels. In fact, Trends in Outside…
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Responsibility to Protect Syria – A Case Study
Introduction It is widely believed that non-intervention is the norm within an international society since international law restricts the use of force except for purposes of self-defense or by way of collective enforcement as authorized by the United Nations Security Council (Bellamy and Wheeler 2014). This misunderstanding is grounded in the debate on how the…
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Understanding the Causes of Civil War in Iraq and Syria
Introduction The civil wars in Iraq and Syria are the most catastrophic and worst humanitarian crisis since World War II. The two main causes of civil wars in Iraq and Syria are authoritarianism and sectarianism. This essay will examine the causes and comparative analysis of two contemporary civil wars: The Iraqi civil war from 2006…
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Tigers’ Eyes and Ears: The LTTE Intelligence Wing (Part I)
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) Intelligence Wing, Tiger Organization Security Intelligence Service (TOSIS) The author would like to dedicate this article to Colonel Tuan Nizam Muthaliff RWP, MI (July 12, 1966 – May 31, 2005) was the former Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Military Intelligence Corps, Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) of…