Security and Defence

Last year’s rout of the Iraqi Army in the northern city of Mosul by ISIS represented the nadir of the post-2003 Iraqi state. But if the country’s long-term prospects have brightened noticeably since the dark summer of 2014, its path to that future is still filled with uncertainty.

The capability of reaching a final nuclear agreement is in constant jeopardy as long as President Obama continues to implement the Obama Doctrine in spite of sharp opposition from stakeholders both at home and abroad.

The contracting of such PMSC for UN activities is highly controversial and frequently regarded as problematic and dangerous.

The conflict in Yemen is one that began in 2004, but greatly escalated in the fall of 2014 when the rebel group known as the Houthis increased their attacks on the Yemeni government

All the money, good governance and reforms in the world will come to little if Ukraine is dismembered by Russia and its allies in the east of the country.

Could Nigeria's recent presidential election cause a shift in power resulting in a return to power of oppressive military leadership?

Neither side really wants a full-scale war, but unintended escalation is very much possible.

Over the past year, Turkey has taken several stances against what have otherwise been broadly held Western policy positions.

Last month saw the Pentagon announce that it was moving away from its controversial Air-Sea Battle (ASB) programme, declaring instead that it would be absorbed into a new – and somewhat amorphous sounding – model, to be known as the “Joint Concept for Access and Maneuver in the Global Commons” (JAM-GC).

There can be little doubt that is falling some way short in its regional security role. In part, this is because the challenge Russia presents is far larger than those faced in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Libya - Nato's largest previous operations to date.