This post is based on a paper of the same name delivered as part of the Regional Security Research (RSRC) panel titled ‘After the Arab Spring: Regime Security in the Arabian Gulf’, on September 27, 2017. Dr. AMIR M. KAMEL Iran’s presence and involvement in the Gulf continues to impact security in the region. In… Read More Iran and (in)security in the Gulf
DR BEN KIENZLE Each summer, members of the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London offer literature suggestions for the following academic year. Given the UK’s game-changing decision to leave the European Union (EU), this year’s first ‘summer reading’ post takes on the nearly impossible task of suggesting three key readings on the security &… Read More What to read on Brexit, security & defence
DR BEN KIENZLE On 23 June 2016, the British people voted to leave the European Union (EU). This has been widely seen as one of the most important strategic decisions of the UK in a generation. In the immediate aftermath of the EU referendum, Ellen Hallams and Ben Kienzle have brought together researchers from King’s… Read More No news is good news? The field of security & defence one year after the Brexit referendum
PROF SVEN BISCOP Prof. Biscop is the Director of the Europe in the World Programme at the Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels, and a Professor at Ghent University. He is an Honorary Fellow of the European Security and Defence College. The EU Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy (EUGS) is one… Read More European Strategic Autonomy after the Brexit
DR TRACEY GERMAN The death of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, the longest serving ruler in the post-Soviet space, has triggered concern about the stability of the Central Asian country. In power since 1989, Karimov’s authoritarian rule has undoubtedly contributed to relative stability, whilst also hindering the development of a robust economy and functioning civil society.… Read More Testing times for Uzbekistan
This post forms part of a series where members of the Defence Studies Department share their thoughts on the books they are reading this summer. This post is by DR AMIR M KAMEL see more of his posts here, here and here. The book: Democracy Prevention: The Politics of the US-Egyptian Alliance has provided for an… Read More DSD Summer Reading #4
DR TRACEY GERMAN The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Summit in Warsaw, which took place 8-9 July 2016, focused on the continuing threat to Euro-Atlantic security from Russia, leading to an emphasis on deterrence and a strengthening of the alliance’s defence posture, moving away from its previous posture of reassurance. The summit’s final communiqué was… Read More NATO’s Warsaw Summit and Russia: deterrence or provocation?
BILL PARK Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is illiberal and autocratic. He has little respect for the rule of law or the autonomy of institutions. He was content to allow lawyers and police officials who were alleged supporters of the cleric Fethullah Gulen to pursue, beginning in 2008, and eventually imprison military and other so-called… Read More Turkey: It’s the lust for power, stupid
By DR DAVID B ROBERTS With its double meaning, the Chinese proverb ‘may you live in interesting times’ aptly describes the current mood in the Arab Gulf monarchies. These states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates) are going through a period of intriguing flux. A range of long-held assumptions across… Read More Interesting times for the Gulf Arab monarchies
By DR AMIR M KAMEL The June 23 vote in the United Kingdom (UK) to leave the European Union (EU) sent shockwaves across the country, continent and globe in the political, economic and security spheres. This has already had and will continue to have ramifications in the Middle Eastern region. These are likely to be both positive and… Read More What BREXIT means for the Middle East
Defence-In-Depth 