Global Political Insight

The morning of 14th September 2014 brought the anticipated yet chilling news that ISIS had executed their third Western prisoner since sweeping so abruptly from the splintered rebel-held territories of Syria into Northern Iraq and onto the global political stage. The death of David Haines – following that of James Foley and Steven Sotloff – […]

Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural region, encompassing areas of Northern Iraq, South Turkey, West Iran, and East Syria. The Kurdish people are an ethnic group in the Middle East who inhabit the area Kurdistan. Kurdish settlements have been present in the area documenting back to the medieval period existing during the 16th to 19th […]

Ethnicity is defined as “The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition” (Oxford Dictionary Online). Ethnicity and its relationship to conflict are highly relevant in the modern strategic environment; in the post-Cold war international system cleavages along ethnically defined lines have been utilised as an […]

Islamic State demonstrates enormous commitment to their cause with the public murders of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, but the Western response indicates that lessons have been learnt from the Iraq War, and a coordinated, localised response is likely to produce an elongated struggle that will shape Iraq’s future. Another week goes by, […]

The West’s increasing involvement in Iraq to combat the Islamic State (IS) insurgency has placed significant dilemma on its stance towards  Bashar al-Assad. The virtual none existence of the border between Iraq and Syria, and the apparent lack of Iraqi government authority in the Sunni dominated lands, has allowed the formation of the Islamic State and the […]

It has been three years since the civil war that engulfed Libya and resulted in the ousting of Colonel Qaddafi. The images of some citizens celebrating the end of a ruler who was in charge for more than 40 years was supposed to be the first of many promising moments in the new Libya. However far from becoming […]

The United States and Israel have always enjoyed an intimate relationship. Israel was a key ally during the Cold War and the security of Israel is one of Washington’s primary concerns. As a result, the US provides Israel with a lot of finances in the form of aid. Since World War II Israel has received […]

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict has stemmed from several disagreements that all have roots in the past, before spiralling into the current conflict we see in the news. We are constantly bombarded with images of soldiers and civilians, politicians and commentators, Israelis and Palestinians. And, most importantly, everyone tries to decide who is right, who has the […]

The current outbreak of violence in Gaza follows a pattern which has engulfed the region for more than half a century. The particularly aggressive offensive currently being carried out by the Israeli military resulting in around 1000 Palestinian deaths has led to the UN accusing the nation of possible war crimes. Israel, however believes that it is […]

Leading Taliban officials have released a statement expressing their concerns over disputes between rival jihadist factions in Syria, after the recent declaration made by ISIS (who now wish to be known as the Islamic State) on June 29th that the territory under their control in Iraq and Syria is now an Islamic caliphate, under the […]

Following the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, much has been said about Russia’s “isolation” from the “international community.” Russia’s relations with the West, and particularly with the U.S., have clearly undergone a dramatic deterioration over the past six months. Russia has recently been subjected to a previously unimaginable litany of trade sanctions, asset freezes, and visa bans. However, the West is only one part of the […]

After 9/11, America unleashed their campaign to completely change the political landscape of the Middle East. Under the pretext of fighting terrorism and protecting the US national security, George W Bush and Barack Obama presided over military campaign and covert operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Iran and also looked to influence the outcome […]

The Taliban has tried to kill her; the UN has listened to her impassioned speech on the inviolable importance of equal education; she even nearly won the Nobel Peace Prize (but let’s face it – she’s better than that!) Malala Yousafzai has now cemented her image as the Joan of Arc of the modern era. […]

Barack Obama took office in 2008 as a moderate, an accomplished lawyer with enough grammatical tricks and a robust lexicon to weave his way through Congress and the rest of the political establishment. For many, if not all of us, Barack Obama became synonymous with fresh air. A much needed break from his conservative, trigger […]

Following the unverified claims that chemical weapons were used in Syria, British Prime Minister David Cameron was ready to take military action against the Syrian state within days of the incident. The media and the public were certain that Britain was about to embark on another military campaign, to add to the recent tallies of […]