Terrorists on Twitter: Should extremists be on social networks?

The attacks on the Westgate Centre in Nairobi by Somali terrorist group, al-Shabaab have brought into focus an age old question about how liberal western democracies handle extremists who use mass media as a propaganda tool. Al-Shabaab were probably the Read on! →

A rebel fighter signals victory after he fires a shoulder-fired missile toward a building where Syrian troops loyal to President Bashar Assad were hiding in the Jedida district of Aleppo, Syria on November 4, 2012.

Syria: Assad might negotiate, but why would the rebels?

We are only engaging with half the problem on Syria. As hard as it might be to persuade Assad that he cannot win the war, it may be harder to persuade the rebels they should stop fighting it. The reason Read on! →

Nakumatt Westgate in Westlands, Nairobi

Kenya: Westgate siege unifies shocked nation

The hostage situation this weekend in the Westgate shopping centre has hit global headlines in a way very few events in Sub-Saharan Africa ever do. At least 68 people have been killed and many more injured in an attack by Read on! →

Syrian rebels from the “Al-Qasas Brigade” or “Justice Brigade” run through an olive grove to avoid Syrian Army snipers as they travel between villages on foot in the northwestern Jabal al-Zawiya area.

Syria: Would any US-led strike on Syria remain limited in scope?

In August 2012, President Obama declared that any use of chemical weapons by the government of Bashar al-Assad would cross a game-changing red line. When the Assad regime deployed sarin gas on a Damascus suburb, almost exactly a year later, Read on! →

The International Criminal Court in the Hague

Kenya: William Ruto on trial at the Hague

Suited and media-savvy, it seems at first look as if William Ruto, the Deputy President of Kenya, is an average politician. However, today he faced the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He’s the first serving political figure to do Read on! →

Potes is surrounded by mountains and forests, and is a very popular base for walkers.

Spain: Sipping orujo in the green dustbowl

In the first days of the tourist season in Green Spain, sightseers, attracted by orujo, a grappa-like liquor, and local honey, brave a downpour to swarm on motorbikes and coaches around the centre of Potes, the gateway to the Picos Read on! →

LONG ISLAND SOLAR FARM

USA: Germany sets solar power records, but America lags behind?

Earlier this year, Germany toppled their own record for energy production using solar power, with daily output of 23.9 gigawatts. While Germany has spent the past several years topping records for solar power output, other central European nations like Bulgaria Read on! →

A UK Visa application office in Kuwait

UK: Are visa bonds winning at home but losing abroad?

The announcement by the UK government to pilot a tough new visa bond scheme aimed at discouraging illegal immigration and reducing net migration will have gone down well at the Home Office. However, given the public perception of the scheme Read on! →

A woman shows her voter registration card at a polling station in Timor-Leste, where she is waiting to cast her vote in today’s presidential run-off.

Timor Leste: After the UN’s departure, can the country sustain its rise?

The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor Leste (UNMIT) withdrew its troops on December 31st, 2012. When introduced in 2006, it aimed to “bring about a process of national reconciliation and to foster social cohesion’. This task is almost complete Read on! →

A small pyramid with the Euro sign stands just outside Riga, Latvia

Latvia: Introduction of the Euro to go ahead despite lack of public support

Latvia will become the 18th Member State to introduce the euro on 1 January 2014, but with less than 40% support from its citizens. The Latvian Prime Minister, Valdis Dombrovskis, has admitted: “The public now is less convinced than it Read on! →