Global Security
Global Security
Fair Observer's analysis of issues in governance, constitution, law, enforcement, and justice both nationally and internationally.
-
360° Analysis / GSOMIA / intelligence agreement / Japan / North Korea / South Korea / Global Security / AsiaBy Nackhoon HanSince the failed attempt to sign a first-ever military intelligence agreement with Japan, it is vital that South Korea needs to reassess the entire agreement with respect to its own domestic opinion as well as the broader strategic implications. South Korea and Japan were recently on the verge of signing their first-ever military agreement (the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA), which would allow the two East Asian nations to share military intelligence. However, on Friday, June 29, 2012, South Korea announced that it would temporarily postpone signing the military pact with Japan. Despite South Korea's government previously asserting the necessity of this...
-
By Bilal AhmedThe inevitable collapse of the Syrian regime could potentially have a problematic effect on neighboring countries due to Assad's relationship with members of al-Qaeda in Iraq. It is difficult to speak of terrorism in Syria without first outlining how the concept has benefited besieged autocrat Bashar al-Assad himself. Assad's government has been presenting itself as a stabilizing force in Syria amidst the ongoing violence. As such, the regime has always had an interest in manufacturing an atmosphere of chaos. The Syrian government has taken steps to build this narrative through the terrorist group, the Front for the Protection of the People of the Levant, or al-Nusra. Al-Nusra and...
-
border / cooperation / crime / economy / immigration / Politics / United States / violence / 360° Context / Americas / Global SecuritySince security concerns are rising, the US and Mexico are continuously looking for a solution to protect their border without disrupting the prospering trade. Protecting Borders in the 21st Century: A look at Mexico – US Security Cooperation Background Covering 2,000 miles of terrain, Mexico and the United States share one of the longest land locked borders in the world. From trade to immigration, rising security concerns, effective cooperation between the US and Mexico is vital in protecting both countries’ national interests. The rise of organized crime and violence, troubled economies, and vicious cycles of undocumented immigration, the US and Mexico’s policies and...
-
Only the United Nations has the ability to rescue Syria from what it has quickly become – a staging ground for a regional power struggle between respective Sunni and Shi’a backed forces. Syria’s unique position on the map – it lies on the Mediterranean Sea and shares borders with Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon – is like a keystone that holds the surrounding elements in place. The outbreak of civil war in Syria has weakened the central government’s control over vast areas of the country, opening up space for new actors to operate in the pursuit of their own strategic interests. The struggle of Syria’s Sunni-based opposition against the...
-
The ‘double standards’ critique is not relevant to justify a military intervention in Syria, and denotes a dangerous romanticism in international relations. As helpless spectators of the massacres in Syria, we are all outraged. Willingness to intervene is natural, and it can rely on the tradition that refuses to regard sovereignty as a shield behind which human rights could be grossly violated. Some then decree to wage war in the name of humanity, advocating “intervention”, a medical analogy used since the 19th century, giving war a ‘cleaner’ appearance, much like the controlled precision of a surgeon’s knife whose aim is not to kill but to heal....
-
The new face of warfare is electronic: cyber-war, cyber-terrorism, cyber-espionage and cyber-crime. Cyber attacks can originate from terrorists, governments, their proxies, and common hackers. Computers and computer software are increasingly utilized to attack targets with computer viruses, malware, and other programs or to overload or deface websites. This theater includes both an offensive and defensive aspect. There have been a multitude of offensive efforts to hack into various state systems, utilities or banks, to affect disruptions in operations, send political messages, or obtain sensitive information. Additionally, individuals and commercial enterprises have been hit by hackers as...
-
360° Analysis / United States / Europe / Middle East / Global Security / Asia / OceaniaDespite their rarity, the potential economic fallout of maritime incidents makes them severe threats. Compared with land-based incidents, maritime terrorism represents a very small percentage of overall terrorist attacks. In 2003, the Aegis Research and Intelligence Database estimated between 1999 and 2003 that maritime targets represented less than one percent of all terrorist attacks. A similar analysis of the RAND terrorism database supports these figures; of the 40,126 terrorist incidents recorded between 1968 and 2007, only 136 (0.34%) were against the maritime domain. Not only are the maritime numbers very low, but maritime terrorist incidents of any significance have also not...
-
The failure of the US to honour the key basis of the Istanbul negotiations, highlights the absence of goodwill in resolving the standoff with Iran. The Oxford Research Group’s (ORG) briefing, Iran’s Nuclear Impasse: Breaking the Deadlock, published before the second round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 in Baghdad on May 23, proposed some positive principles for a successful outcome of the negotiations. However, it suffers serious drawbacks, which have become more clearly highlighted with the result of the recent Moscow negotiations. At the conclusion of the third round of talks between Iran and P5+1, the initial optimism about the resolution of the stand-off between Tehran...
-
By Nur Azlin Mohamed Yasin Indonesian extremists no longer hide in cyberspace. Instead they function openly through social media, projecting a softer image to a wider audience, raising new questions about Islamic extremism in Indonesia. The recent cyber clash involving online movements, #IndonesiaTanpaFPI (Indonesia without Islamic Defenders’ Front) and #IndonesiaTanpaJIL (Indonesia without Liberal Islam Network) presents us with an interesting finding – acceptance of communities with different beliefs by the online Bahasa Indonesia extremist community. This was not the case in the past. Then, the online extremist community was not observed to support or consent to the...