Open Briefing: Security news and strategic analysis from across the Middle East. Includes the regional fallout from the eight day Israel-Gaza conflict and the rebel capture of a helicopter base only 10 miles east of Damascus, Syria.
Tag: Open Briefing
No ordinary trial by fire for Israel
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.
Intelligence digest: Middle East, 11-17 November 2012
Open Briefing: Security news and strategic analysis from across the Middle East. Includes the escalation of the Israel-Gaza conflict and the recognition by Paris and Ankara of the Syrian National Coalition as the representative of the Syrian people.
Intelligence digest: Middle East, 4-10 November 2012
Open Briefing: Security news and strategic analysis from across the Middle East. Includes the arrest of two members of the Kuwaiti ruling family for tweets deemed critical of the government and the murder of the chief of an anti-Taliban peace committee in Pakistan.
Intelligence brief: What is the current status of missing US freelance journalist Austin Tice?
Open Briefing: It is highly likely that missing US journalist Austin Tice was captured by Syrian military forces and, if still alive, is likely still in government custody. However, it is impossible to assess with any confidence his current location or condition.
Intelligence brief: What is the probability of an Israeli strike against Iran in the six months following the 2012 US presidential election?
Open Briefing: An Israeli strike against Iran is highly unlikely between the US presidential elections in November 2012 and the Israeli elections in January 2013, and unlikely between January and the Iranian presidential elections in June 2013.
Dossier: Domestic drivers of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands confrontation
Open Briefing: Our analysis of the domestic drivers of and constraints on the various parties in the recurring Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands confrontation reveals they do not lock in armed conflict but, instead, support considerable diplomatic flexibility.
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.
