Military Balance 2009 - Press Coverage
- 30 Jan 2009 - - Canadian Press - Top Afghan official won't run for president
The Afghan constitution requires that a presidential vote be held this spring, but allows for delays in the event of security concerns. Afghanistan's election commission said yesterday the election will be pushed back to Aug. 20 to give coalition forces more time to bolster security.
The delay comes one day after the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies warned Afghanistan is entering its most critical period since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
- 29 Jan 2009 - - Canadian Press - Key Afghan minister rules out presidential bid; vote delayed to August
The delay comes one day after the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies warned Afghanistan is entering its most critical period since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
In its annual report on the capabilities of national militaries around the globe, the British think tank warned that Karzai's government holds little sway beyond Kabul's city limits.
- 29 Jan 2009 - - Edmonton Journal - Afghan police on target for August vote: Official
Still, security in the country remains precarious. Police forces are rife with corruption and illiteracy and are behind the Afghan army in their development. On Wednesday, a London-based think-tank said rising violence in Afghanistan could threaten the elections entirely and put the international mission in peril.
"There is a risk that it will not be possible to hold elections; or voter turnout may be below the minimum necessary for the ballot to be valid," The International Institute for Strategic Stu
- 29 Jan 2009 - - Times - Analysis: Obama's victory may result in a chastened Russia
Instead, as yesterday’s report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) highlighted, Russia is more rattle than sabre. Its military is outdated. Its economy is reeling. It faces huge social problems. As Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, will no doubt make clear this evening at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Kremlin needs all the friends it can get.
- 29 Jan 2009 - - National Review - Iranian Revolution@30
Today, the 30-year-old Iranian Revolution appears simultaneously dangerous and decrepit. Iran has made Syria its client, created Hezbollah as its proxy, and adopted Hamas. A new report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies says Iran is likely to produce enough low-enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb before the end of this year. Long-range ballistic missiles are under development as well.
- 29 Jan 2009 - - Chosun Ilbo - China 'to Flex Military Might Abroad as Recession Hobbles U.S.'
2009 will be the year China begins to flex its military muscle overseas while the United States encounters more obstacles in its "war on terror" in Afghanistan and elsewhere as allies cut back on military spending amid the global economic crisis. Russia remains a paper tiger, while Iran will be capable of producing a nuclear weapon before the end of this year.
Those predictions come from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies' annual assessment of global military power, titled "Mil
