Press Coverage 2006

Iraqis ponder lessons of history after Saddam "If you think of '58, '68 and '79, you can now put 2006 on this list -- a propagandistic show trial, a quick execution and a claim that this marks a watershed in Iraqi history," said Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert at Queen Mary, University of London.
The damning verdict of history Ahead lies a rocky road to salvation. There is still no sign that Sunni can live in peace with Shia; the Kurds are well on their way to achieving autonomy; the security situation is so bad that the US is on the point of ordering a fresh deployment of troops to try to restore order. One of President George W Bush's first actions in the new year will be a decree ordering more troops to Baghdad in a big bang'' bid to crush the insurgency. It seems to have escaped the president's attention that the...
Lebanon conflict overlap with Mideast turmoil British analyst Toby Dodge said it would be an "absolute disaster" if a disintegrating Iraq became the arena for a proxy contest between Shi'ite Iran and Sunni-led governments, but said there remained a chance this could be averted. "The other model would be bringing all Iraq's neighbours into a regional and international compact that gives them a framework within which to cooperate, not compete," he said.
Battle-hardened Ethiopians test limits The Ethiopian army is relying largely on Cold War-era hardware from the former Soviet Union, but it is also benefiting from more recent training by the U.S. military, with which it is allied in Washington's so-called war on terrorism. According to several sources, including the International Institute of Strategic Studies and the U.S. State Department, there are about 200,000 personnel in the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, which makes it one of the most formidable militaries in Africa.
Nuclear stand-offs set to continue in 2007 2007 is likely to see a continuation of the confrontation with Iran and North Korea over their nuclear programmes. Iran has angrily rejected sanctions imposed by the Security Council and renewed talks with North Korea have so far got nowhere. "There will be tactical manoeuvres but no change can be expected in the basic positions next year," said Mark Fitzpatrick, nuclear watcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.
Iran, North Korea -- nuclear proliferation "This has been the worst year for non-proliferation since 1998, when India and Pakistan both tested nuclear weapons," Mark Fitzpatrick, of London's International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) , told AFP. "Future historians might say this was the year the non-proliferation regime began to unravel," Fitzpatrick said.
Mideast leaders seek their own solutions "If you're looking forward, this is the next stage," says Toby Dodge, a political scientist and expert on Mideast Politics at Queen Mary College at the University of London. "The point will soon come when it's much more obvious than it is today that the Americans are going home, and then what will the Saudis and others do? "Will they say, right, the sky is falling in ... but we have an opportunity to contain it by working together? Or, will this become the front line of a...
Ethiopia's armed forces Jane's World Armies and the International Institute of Strategic Studies estimate the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) at between 150 000 to 180 000 personnel, backed by solid but mainly old Soviet-era ground and air power.
Conservative voices help our war on ideology These more traditional and conservative Muslim leaders have theological credibility within their communities. These leaders may not always share the West's interests in pluralism and in the development of liberal institutions. They won't share our views on gender equality, but many of them oppose violence. I think we must be willing to build on what common ground we can identify if we are to meet the challenge of terrorism. * Alexander Downer is the Foreign Minister. This is an edited extract...
Engage Islam moderates: Aussie minister The West must engage moderate Muslim leaders despite their conservative views on such issues as gender equality, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says. Addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Downer said such leaders must be brought into the fold if the west is to succeed in combatting extremist Islam and terrorism. He said some of their views would conflict with liberal standards but only they could prevent extremists from submerging the true...
Australia Considers Ban on Sri Lanka's LTTE "We are seriously considering banning the LTTE," stated Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, addressing a gathering on terrorism and Islamic extremism at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London.
From the Klan to Tehran: Baker, Carter, Duke Well, I guess we can all rest easier now. Iran's Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, told the International Institute of Strategic Studies conference taking place in Bahrain that Iran is ready to co-operate with the United States……in withdrawing from Iraq. He coupled that statement by repeating the threat of Iran's top national security official, Ali Larijani, that if America refuses this most "generous" offer of co-operation, Iran will stir the Persian Gulf states to...
America, MIA in The Gulf There was, alas, no sign of such a U.S. approach at a high-level gathering of Arab princes and policymakers, Iranian revolutionaries and senior officials from Europe and Asia in this Gulf kingdom last weekend. The two-day conference served instead to underline the shallowness of much of the current U.S. debate, both inside and outside an administration that argues endlessly over incremental deployments of 10,000 troops more or less, tactics for pulling Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki away...
We must engage conservative Islam - Downer Addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London today, Mr Downer said such leaders must be brought into the fold if the west is to succeed in combatting extremist Islam and terrorism. The foreign affairs minister said some of their views would conflict with community standards but only those Muslim leaders could prevent fundamentalist views from submerging the true Islam.
Engage Conservative Muslim Leaders Western nations face an "emerging dilemma" over the need to engage Muslim leaders who hold conservative religious views on such issues as gender equality, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said last night. Addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, he said such leaders must be brought into the fold if the West is to succeed in combating extremist Islam and terrorism.
Institutes sever ties with Iran over forum The 34 signers of the statement included the directors of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London; the Aspen Institute Berlin; the German Marshall Fund in Washington; the Geneva Center for Security Policy; the Center for International Studies and Research in Paris; the United States Studies Center in Sydney and the Center for International Relations in Warsaw, The New York Times reported Saturday.
War on insurgency In his recent writings Kilcullen argues the case for a new paradigm to deal with what he terms a ''globalised insurgency'' encompassing Iraq, Afghanistan and other regional conflicts. The US and its allies must adapt the best classical counter-insurgency techniques at the local level, combined with a much more sophisticated global information campaign, to defeat al-Qa'ida and its affiliates. ''Today's insurgencies differ significantly -- at the level of policy, strategy, operational art and...
Iraq: Kurds Warn Against Delaying Referendum On December 10, at a conference held by the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Manama, Bahrain, Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said Kirkuk's future status carried significant implications for Turkey, AP reported on December 11. In addition, he called on Iraq's government to avoid imposing an "unrealistic" future on Kirkuk, a veiled threat that Turkey would not sit idly by and watch the city fall under the control of the Kurds
Czechs eye an increase of troops The country's dedication attests to pressure newer NATO countries feel to step up to the plate, said Dana Allin, a research fellow at the London-based Institute for Strategic Studies, which specializes in defense. Along with Hungary and Poland, the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999. Seven more Central and East European countries joined in 2004. "Newer members of NATO may take the success of the [Afghanistan] mission extra seriously," Allin said. "There's less of a tendency to...
The Playground & The Nukes! Last week Saudi Intelligence Chief Prince Meqren Abdul Aziz warned at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Regional Security Summit in Bahrain that "this will also force moderate countries in the region that adopt a WMD-free policy to establish clandestine or declared nuclear programs to defend their interests and create a military balance."