The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has released the first issue of The Sentinel, a scholarly look at terrorism around the world. A pdf copy of it can be downloaded here. Of particular interest is page 14, where Gregory Johnsen- late of this site- has a rigorous look at “Securing Yemen's Co-operation in the Second Phase of the War on Al-Qaeda”. This article looks at the changing nature of al-Qaeda in Yemen, looking at what some are calling a generational shift , and how Yemen has to deal with it. The overall thrust of the publication is US policy, and how to combat and defeat terrorism. Johnsen's article is no exception, and is a good and sober guide at how to look at situational realities instead of having an overbearing blanket approach.
In an article later this week we’ll look more into the idea of a generational split in Yemen, and whether or not Yemen is becoming the new base for al-Qaeda, a notion that has been gaining some traction.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
