Organised criminal groups seeking political influence have long driven an increase in political violence during Mexico’s elections. With violent incidents already surpassing those recorded in the 2018 general election and with a month still remaining before the polls, 2024 is likely to be the most violent election year yet, writes Shannon Lorimer.
Iran’s attack on Israel in mid-April has strengthened the political position of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu domestically. Tamsin Hunt considers how this development has provided a temporary distraction from deep-seated public grievances that have long driven large-scale anti-government protests in the country.
Islamic State Khorasan Province’s recent attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow Oblast has catapulted the group into international headlines. Today, it seems the group’s increasingly expansive attacks are not only a concern for Central and South Asian countries but have also put Western countries on alert, writes Saif Islam.
As President Daniel Noboa follows a path of militarising Ecuador’s response to violent organised crime, Tamsin Hunt explores the challenges in this approach, and in finding longer term solutions to gang-driven insecurity.
Ahead of elections in July 2024, Venezuela has recorded the continued use of politically motivated arrests and detentions targeting those challenging Nicolás Maduro’s leadership. Shannon Lorimer explores wrongful detention trends over the course of Maduro’s presidency and considers its ongoing use as a tool to silence government critics after the vote.…
The recent arrest of French journalist Antoine Galindo has once again put an international spotlight on the state of press freedom in Ethiopia. With armed conflicts and political tensions persisting in the country, the threat of wrongful detention against journalists is on the rise, writes Zaynab Hoosen.
Escalating gang violence in Haiti has rendered the Caribbean nation a failed state, with few immediate prospects for a route out of anarchy. Armed criminal gangs now number in their hundreds; here, Markus Korhonen profiles the most significant of them.
Since November 2023, there has been a spate of pirate attacks off the Somali coast. Richard Gardiner discusses the factors behind these recent incidents and argues that while these developments are concerning, we are unlikely to see a return to the levels of Somali piracy experienced over a decade ago.
While Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has committed to avoid the use of force to resolve his country’s claim to Guyana’s oil-rich Essequibo region, the expanded military presence along the border has raised concerns that there may be more than meets the eye when it comes to Venezuela’s approach to negotiations. Shannon Lorimer discusses how likely…
Longstanding political tensions and socio-economic grievances in the country are unlikely to be resolved swiftly despite election promises. These factors could instigate more unrest in the future regardless of the government of the day, writes Zaynab Hoosen. *
The start of 2024 has not been easy for Ukraine, underscored by continued weapons shortages and the loss of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast. Richard Gardiner considers Ukraine’s defence prospects in 2024 and its ability to expose Russia’s looming challenges in 2025 and beyond.
In 2023, hundreds of thousands of US workers from various sectors went on strike to demand higher pay. With some strikes extending months, many workers were eventually successful in securing more favourable contracts. The question now is whether these wins will encourage continued industrial action in 2024, writes Shannon Lorimer.