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Japan has changed its constitution. Or, rather, has “reinterpreted” it. Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet announced recently that it approved the constitutional reinterpretation to allow Japan a “limited” right to collective self defence. The decision was taken to o

Goa Shipyard Ltd. (GSL) has delivered the fourth Saryu-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) to the Indian Navy. INS Sumitra, a 105-metre anti-piracy vessel, features several electronic, communication and weapon systems. The Indian Navy has already taken delivery of th

BAE Systems has unveiled a new Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD) with an integrated night vision camera to allow fighter pilots to see in the dark. The Striker II h

Swedish Scania R730 Tank Transporter

A vidékfejlesztésre fordítható uniós forrásoknak kifejezetten a munkahely- és a lehetőségteremtés lesz a célja a következő hét évben, a kormány ennek jegyében rendezi át a korábbi uniós támogatási gyakorlatot és rendszert - jelentette ki Lázár János, Miniszterelnökséget vezető miniszter hétfőn Budapesten újságírók előtt.

BAE's Nimrod MRA4 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Photo: Ronnie Macdonald A

Russian Tornado-G Multiple Launch Rocket System

Russian Buk Air Defense Missile System

Ukrainian MT-64 Armored Bridgelayer

Y.H. Zoubir, L. Dris-Aït-Hamadouche, Global Security Watch – The Maghreb, Praeger, Santa Barbara, 2013
North Africa remains much less studied (in the academic field) than the eastern part of the Middle-East (Egypt, Levant, Near East and the Gulf). This recent issue of the Global Security Watch series (see also former issues on Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon or Jordan) provides us with a timely and relevant introduction to the Maghreb (plus valuable bibliographies).
Starting with internal security dimensions, then addressing the collective security mechanisms (or their absence), the book depicts a region ridden with instability. The Moroccan-Algerian row over Western Sahara, the Libyan conundrum (under Qadhafi then because of his demise), and an increasing link with Sahel and Nigerian security challenges, undermine regional structures. Algeria’s complex game between Morocco and Libya, Morocco’s strong alliance with the U.S. and France, Tunisia’s efforts to survive in a troubled neighbourhood, the new presence of China, the ongoing presence of Russia (especially in Algeria), all account for new foreign policy puzzles. The encounter between transnational actors (such as AQIM, Boko Haram, or, in a different category, the Tuaregs) and national security forces (with much different traditions and relations to society, as chapter 1 by Cherif Driss remarkably illustrates), is also a key parameter to the future of the region.
A french reader might be surprised that France’s role is barely mentioned here. After decades of political presence in the Maghreb, a recent intervention in Mali (ongoing since 2013), and a newly reorganized military presence in West Africa, it might have deserved more. The book’s objective, though, was clearly to address the dynamics among Maghreb’s local actors. For they – and no one else – are the key to understand the great North African game.

Le mystère du voile vaporeux qui enveloppe le sourire de Mona Lisa, le fameux «sfumato», aurait enfin été percé à jour. Selon une chercheuse du CNRS s'appuyant sur des travaux plus anciens, Léonard de Vinci a utilisé une technique de superposition de...

The crash site near the village of Grabovo in Ukraine “Shot down.

THE failure of the Joint Strike Fighter to travel to England for a premier air show has heaped further embarrassment on its developers as they try to convince sceptics that the $US400 billion ($A432.78 billion) program is a price worth paying. THE plane couldn't

American M915A5 Tractor Truck