Open Briefing: While Israel – and Hamas for that matter – has the right of self-defense, it must take the lessons of Cast Lead and the Second Lebanon War to heart by meticulously observing proportionality, military necessity and the protection of civilians.
Category: Reports and articles
Pakistan’s disappearing Hindus
Open Briefing: The political system works against minorities in Pakistan, dovetailing wealth, power and sectarianism. While Pakistan's Hindus feel the effects keenly, their elites have adjusted to the political apparatus rather than challenging it.
Looking at Afghanistan beyond 2014
Open Briefing: The intensification of militant violence in Afghanistan comes at a time when ISAF/NATO forces are facing a crisis of confidence at home and abroad, with key recent developments eroding the credibility of Western forces in Afghanistan itself.
The Sinai Peninsula: Egypt’s Waziristan?
Open Briefing: A spate of attacks in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula have drawn overly simplistic media comparisons to Waziristan. However, an analysis of the intentions of the stakeholders in Sinai paints a different, and more complex, picture.
Making sense of political-related violence in Kenya
Open Briefing: Recent violence in Kenya is cause for great concern as we approach elections in March 2013. A history of political instigators of violence going unchecked has emboldened politicians looking for victory in a Balkanized state.
Taking stock in Somalia
Open Briefing: After 20 years of failed statehood Somalia now shows the first signs of a new political conjuncture that could bring about peace. However, al-Shabaab will continue to play a role in shaping the country's future.
Iran’s secret weapon
This article from Open Briefing argues that Israel is unlikely to cease targeting human assets linked to Iran's nuclear programme, while Iran and its affiliates are equally unlikely to desist from hurting Jewish interests and Israeli citizens worldwide.
What now for the Philippines’ Communist insurgency?
In this article from Open Briefing, Maitreya Buddha Samantaray argues that local governments should be able to effectively deal with the insurgency in the southern Philippines despite the recent intensification in activities by the New People's Army.