Author Archives: Matthew Lower

Matthew Lower is the leader of the HSC’s policy unit. He also works for a UK public policy organisation and is an associate analyst with the Partnership for Research in International Affairs and Development. His interests within the centre are the Responsibility to Protect and Western foreign policy analysis.

Tentative Steps in the Mexican Drug War

Matthew Lower October 21, 2014 Latest Articles, The Americas, The Policy Unit

Since a 2006 crackdown by the Calderon government against drug cartels operating within Mexico, some estimates put the death toll as high as 120,000.[1] Despite staggering statistics such as these and multiple acts of public brutality, the conflict - and its severity - remains a relative unknown in the West.

Answering the Big Questions: The Month Following the 2014 NATO Summit

Matthew Lower October 2, 2014 Europe, Latest Articles, Middle East and North Africa, The Policy Unit

The 2014 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Wales was billed as arguably the most important for the alliance following the Cold War. Against a backdrop of tension in Ukraine and unrelenting chaos in the Middle East, the stakes are both immediate and long-term.

Back to the Quagmire: Beyond Diplomacy in Syria

Matthew Lower March 2, 2014 Iraq and Syria, Middle East and North Africa, The Policy Unit

Whilst there is reason to be positive about the ongoing Geneva negotiations between the Assad government and the opposition, the general consensus is that there is little chance of these talks leading to any substantial progress. The reason for this underlying feeling is as clear as it is familiar, the rebels ultimately demand Assad goes, Assad refuses to do so.