| Terror in Turkey |
On 19 December, Turkish authorities announced that they had seized a key suspect in connection with a series of suicide bombings over the previous month. The domestic and international public pressure to produce results and bring the perpetrators of the Istanbul bombings to justice will force the Turkish security apparatus to intensify its operations against radical Islamists. Even if these operations are poorly coordinated and result in the capture of militants close to - rather than actively involved with - those who planned and carried out the attacks, they will nevertheless circumscribe the operational capabilities of any groups planning further attacks by forcing them onto the defensive. Still, this disruption will reduce rather than remove the possibility of Turkey being a venue for further attacks. There is a distinct possibility of further bombings. |
| Financing Islamist terrorism |
Even the most enlightened policies may not end transnational Islamist terrorism, but the counter-terrorism coalition can contain terrorists by shrinking and constricting their operating environment, and financial surveillance and interdiction is crucial to this effort. Terrorism is relatively cheap, but it is not free: it requires, among other things, money for safe houses, salaries and weapons. This comes from a broad, transnational array of sympathisers and 'fellow travellers'. Financial regulators should therefore cast a wide net that encompasses the entire international matrix of terrorism supporters, and not just al-Qaeda and its known affiliates. Since 11 September 2001, in both Europe and the United States, regulators have attempted to do just that. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>>Buy this article online >>> |
| EU operational planning |
On 12 December 2003, agreement was reached at the European Council in Brussels to create an autonomous EU operational defence planning facility. The deal was hammered out by the UK, France and Germany and endorsed by all 25 current and prospective members of the EU. One of the most significant developments in the nascent European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), this project has been the source of considerable tension among Europeans, as well as between the Europeans and the Bush administration. Born amid controversy, the planning cell is likely to remain the object of political differences between its three principal midwives. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>> |
| Re-thinking America's space policy |
At the start of December, the US media was full of well-sourced reports that the unveiling of a major new space initiative was imminent. It is hard to imagine the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) coming so high up the White House agenda this year had it not been propelled there by an unusual coincidence of major developments: the Columbia tragedy; the noticeable rise in private-sector space programmes; and increasing foreign involvement in space. The underlying message from any announcement will be that NASA needs to set its sights beyond Earth orbit. |
| Political succession in Eurasia |
In November 2003, Georgia's long-serving president, Eduard Shevardnadze, resigned amid angry public protests provoked by the manipulation of parliamentary elections. The episode highlighted weaknesses specific to Georgia's immature political institutions, but also underscored a wider problem facing most of Eurasia's post-Soviet states - namely, uncertainty over the circumstances under which political change will take place. How the current generation of post-Soviet leaders will end up transferring power represents one of the most important determinants of stability, security and prospects for reform in this part of the world. The record here is unenviable: in most of Eurasia, leadership change has to date been effected either through 'dynastic' rather than democratic means, or as a result of political crises. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>> |
