Freedom of expression should never be an act of bravery. Whoever threatens it is an enemy of all freedom-loving people.

We will witness a battle between a Congress that desires to restore a proactive approach to US foreign affairs and an administration that seeks to continue to limp down the path to the finish line of the next presidential inauguration. It could be a long two years.

During the course of the next 12 months, we could easily see development in one or more of these threats: a total meltdown in Iraq and neighbouring Middle Eastern states; a nuclear Iran, toward which Israel might well lose its patience, in the absence of meaningful American support; and a renewed Russian campaign against the rest of Ukraine, or even a Baltic state or two

The grounds for an alliance between European far right and Russia have been motivated by and shaped along the lines of opposition and counteraction to the idea of a “common enemy” in the EU and the US.

Minority abuse and impunity in the face of grave violations of human rights should not be accepted in silence and the plight of the Crimeans must be given the attention it deserves. It must be possible to hold Russia responsible for its illegal actions while simultaneously recognising that Crimea, and in particular the Crimean population, is the victim.

The issue of equitable water management is likely to become an important area of study in the field of conflict resolution strategies given the acceleration of climate change and the ongoing depletion of the environment.

We are guilty, notably in the developed world, of focusing our attention on issues we deem of immediate importance at the expense of long term intractable conflicts. However, what we continuously fail to recognise is how those issues we have never prioritised, and those we long ago forgot, continue to drastically shape our economic stability and security.

As potential contacts are monitored in places such as the United States and Spain, the sickness is very suddenly falling off the political radar. But West Africa still faces a multitude of challenges and infections, and the West must take this opportunity to be better prepared for future outbreaks.

The latter half of the 20th century, despite being mired in the depths of the Cold War, was a period in which human technological advancements dramatically increased the standard of living for countless individuals around the globe. The drastic acceleration of global industrialisation during this period has been fuelled by natural resource development, often occurring in some of the world’s poorest states. The pursuit of wealth generated from resource development essential for our modern conveniences has significantly contributed to conflict in many regions, several of which are ecologically sensitive areas.

Julie Lenarz, the Executive Director of the Human Security Centre, reacts to yesterday’s terrorist attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem.  What happened in Jerusalem yesterday was a crime of unspeakable cruelty and barbarous depravity. It was not just a normal terrorist ...