China’s Xi Jinping is pivoting towards a messianic path. Annexing Taiwan would guarantee him a place in the autocrats’ pantheon. As worrying and cynic as it sounds, the current historical juncture offers the best opportunity for China to attempt, finally, an incursion into Taiwan. The worst case scenario is a miscalculation that results in actual fighting between China and the U.S. The least-worst case scenario is an invasion without many casualties. Continue reading
This is a perplexing story and hardly a fairy tale [This is a reprint of a blog post published back in early 2013, when we were very concerned about China’s ‘grey zone’ transgressions and Western governments doing so little about it. Fast-forward nearly a decade and finally this is a hot topic and there is … Continue reading
Do you remember when violent attacks due to crime, terrorism or hate were something that could only happen elsewhere? Do you remember when violent attacks due to crime, terrorism, or plain hate towards a group of people (e.g. using bladed articles or vehicles as weapons) were something that could only happen elsewhere? The time has come to start fixing problems collectively rather than simply outliving them. Continue reading
While the American and British standing as leading liberal nations has been irreversibly eroded, it belongs to younger generations to find a common voice and a way to heal the damage and fix the rift caused by their angry progenitors: the Anglo-American Homo Iratus. Continue reading
Brexit Art 50 letter from Theresa May to EU President Tusk
In the era of widespread fake news and willing believers, Picard’s noble and wise pronouncement could be easily ascribed to the EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the German chancellor Angela Merkel, or any other influential European politician and many would be believe it. Continue reading
The WWIII imagined by David Cameron could only happen with the UK as a member of NATO, in or out of the European Union. As for Boris Johnson’s fears of Turkey ever joining the EU, he needs to remember that Turkey is part of NATO. Likewise, the wider debate on security has been uncomfortably hollow. All things remaining equal, perhaps it is better for you to follow your heart when voting. If state security was in your mind when casting your vote, we hope you found this post useful. Continue reading
A key problem is that to the new generation of terrorists and jihadists killings are no longer means to an end. Their mindset simply blends together the idea of a Utopian world that does not actually exist; the desire to play a protagonist’s role in that imaginary world; and hate towards anything undermining the fantasy. Continue reading
On August 19, 2015, Germany released an official projection in which it stated that they expected to receive up to 800,000 asylum seekers. Syrians are not the only ones hoping for a better life in Europe, as there are many other nations in transition in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. From Yemen to Eritrea, millions of people dream the same. Are Europeans prepared to deal with a problem of this magnitude? Continue reading
The British parliamentary election 2015 offers us an interesting case study about a general election in which state security did not figure as an election issue at all. By now, anyone who has been following this election, whether British or not, should have noted this peculiar phenomenon. This has set a dangerous precedent that we all learn to regret sooner than later. Continue reading
