On 27 January 2019, two explosive devices were detonated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Sulu Province. The attack occurred just one week after a plebiscite confirming the creation of an autonomous Moro-Muslim homeland in Mindanao, raising doubts regarding the prospects for peace in the southern Philippines, writes Rob Attwell.…
Nigeria’s incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari, secured a second term in office in the February presidential election, but he will have little time to celebrate his victory. The president will need to buckle down and address key security concerns hampering Africa’s largest economy, writes Joschka Opitz.
Shortly after announcing her candidacy for prime minister, Princess Ubolratana was disqualified and the opposition party which nominated her faces dissolution, raising concerns about Thailand’s future political stability. Rob Attwell unpacks some of the key players and developments driving Thai politics ahead of the 24 March election.
On 17 November 2018, nearly 300,000 people began the first in a series of anti-government protests triggered by a proposed fuel tax increase in France. Yellow vests protests have occurred every Saturday since, and are now in their 14th week. Tim Geschwindt examines the underlying drivers of the protests and assesses what lies ahead for the yellow vests…
The recent coup d’état attempt in Gabon came as a surprise to many who have viewed the country as a beacon of stability among its central African neighbours. However, inherent vulnerabilities were present in Gabon’s political structures. These continue to exist, indicating an unstable political future for Gabon, writes Joschka Opitz.
Rob Attwell discusses some of the key takeaways from the recent bombing in Pulwama, Kashmir, the deadliest attack against Indian forces in 30 years.
On 15 January, four gunmen stormed the dusitD2 hotel and office complex in Nairobi, Kenya, in the first complex terrorist attack in the city in six years. Al Shabaab’s latest assault points to the persistent terrorism threat in Kenya, writes Gabrielle Reid.
In 2018, the frequency and impact of cyberextortion and other types of cybercrime increased notably. Not only have the attacks become more frequent, but incidents of cyber-crime have also become more sophisticated, and have impacted a range of important industries, including healthcare, government, financial services and manufacturing.
There were numerous active assailant incidents in several European Countries and the US in 2018. In the US, the trend of mass shootings and other active assailant attacks continued, with over 300 shooting incidents recorded as of November 2018. However, active assailant attacks have taken place in less expected locations, such as Canada and the Commonwealth…
As key players debate the impact of climate change on the international stage, domestically, governments across the globe are being put to the test in their responses to natural hazards.
The emergence of several high-profile cases in 2018 has raised concerns that abduction by state actors is becoming an increasingly common practice. In this article, we highlight some of the most notable instances of state-sanctioned disappearances in the past year, and provide an insight into what we can expect 2019.
Several significant elections are scheduled to take place around the world in 2019, and we review a number of these in this article. From Nigeria to Indonesia, Ukraine and Libya, the outcome of the 2019 electoral season will not only determine the sociopolitical and economic trajectories of individual countries, but also impact domestic and regional…