In examining the status and capabilities of al-Qaida in last weeks article, one conclusion was that the organisation clearly remains active, with a number of recent incidents demonstrating its
The political assembly of Afghan leaders in Kabul, the Loya Jirga, has made some progress, and Hamid Karzai is established as the political leader of Afghanistan until elections are held
Over the past month there has been widespread concern over the risk of a war in South Asia, and frequent diplomatic forays from Europe and the United States, all emphasising
Any independent assessment of the Israeli armed forces would initially conclude that they are remarkably strong, that they are supported by an unusually large defence expenditure, and that Israel should
In the past few days, there have been two surprising demonstrations of the limits of military power. The US chiefs-of-staff have warned the Bush administration against rushing into an attack
Two weeks ago, an article in this series attempted to analyse the military situation in Afghanistan, an exercise made more difficult by the paucity of reliable information available. Even so,
Prior to the 11 September attacks last year, there was a widespread perception in Europe that the Republican administration of George W. Bush was demonstrating a pronounced unilateralist stance on
In the past four weeks, two military operations involving British Marines have been undertaken in Eastern Afghanistan. Code-named Ptarmigan and Snipe, they have been part of a much more substantial
Twenty years ago, on 2 May 1982, the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano was sunk in a torpedo attack by the British submarine HMS Conqueror with the loss of three hundred
Colin Powell returned to Washington last week having made virtually no progress during his convoluted travels across North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. President Bushs call for an
US Secretary of State Colin Powells efforts to restrain Sharon have so far achieved no more than a tentative plan for a regional peace conference. Two suicide bombings and
As the Israeli military attacks on the West Bank continue, their full aim is becoming apparent. It fits in closely with Ariel Sharons longer-term policies, has little to do
