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  Aug 31, 2020

  Lassoing the Haboob: Countering Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin in Mali

  To develop solutions to Mali’s terrorist crisis, it is first vital to understand its history and explain how a country that was once held up as an exemplar of democratic success in Africa could collapse with such rapidity. Additionally, the same factors that led to Mali’s current disaster precipitated the creation of the extremist group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). Therefore, it is similarly important to characterize and understand the group’s history, organization, methods, and narrative. Only once armed with that understanding can one begin to develop possible strategies for countering JNIM and ameliorating Mali’s troubled situation.
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  Aug 31, 2020

  The Use of Helicopters against Guerrillas: The Israeli Model

  This article examines the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) use of helicopters in the war against terrorism to demonstrate the specificity of the IAF’s use of attack helicopters as compared with other armies fighting terror in the world today.
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  Aug 31, 2020

  The Revolution in Drone Warfare: The Lessons from the Idlib De-Escalation Zone

  The beginning of 2020 nearly witnessed Russia and Turkey in direct kinetic war. Both countries came to this confrontation well-experienced in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles and electromagnetic spectrum warfare technologies, having demonstrated their proficiencies in actions taken against rebel factions in Syria—and in Ankara’s case against Kurdish groups in Turkey—but neither Russia nor Turkey, or other countries for that matter, had previous experience in employing these technologies in a direct clash against a peer competitor. Thus, the warfare between the two adversaries in Libya was truly a transformational confrontation that will definitely be added into military handbooks and manuals around the globe.
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  Jun 9, 2020

  Putin and Missile Defense Malaise: Broadening US Options

  The authors first consider some of the military-strategic and arms control issues that have complicated US– and NATO–Russian dialogue on missile defenses. They then analyze the hypothetical impacts that ICBM silo defenses deployed by the United States and Russia might have on deterrence and arms control stability, including consideration of possible alternatives.
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  Jun 9, 2020

  Musical Criminology: A Comparative Analysis of Jihadist Nasheeds and Narco Corridos

  This study examines and comparatively analyzes the two musical genres in the context of terrorism and narco-terrorism, and how these musical traditions affect their respective followers, admirers, and devotees. The analysis also highlights how these musical genres popularize crime and violence, and desensitize audiences to the extreme brutality praised and glorified in their songs.

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  Aug 31, 2020

  Islamic Radicalization in Belgium

  While the total number of Muslims in Belgium is estimated at less than a million, far less than countries like France and Germany, the country’s sparse population means Muslims comprise approximately 6 percent of the country’s inhabitants. A complicating factor is the preexisting divide in the country between the Dutch-speaking North (Flanders) and primarily French-speaking South (Wallonia). This article examines the ongoing issue of radicalization among Muslims in Belgium and how the preexisting divide within Belgian politics plays a role in addressing the issue.
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  Jun 9, 2020

  The Battle Is Almost Lost: China’s Industrial Challenge to European Shipbuilding

  Ships may be the new battleground for the European Union’s willingness to loosen its antitrust rules. Cruise ship builders Fincantieri in Italy and Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France attempt to create an industrial heavyweight to counter China’s rise as a cruise ship builder. These companies argue that if European shipbuilders continue to be constrained by rules protecting competition in Europe, Chinese companies with significant financial resources and with technological capacity comparable to that of Europe will take hold of the European shipbuilding market and outcompete European companies.
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  Jun 9, 2020

  Radicalization in Prisons and Mosques in France

  France has the largest Islamic population in Europe and one of the largest percentages of total population. While the Arab Spring and associated conflict in the Middle East have triggered a significant influx of migrants into the country, France has been a destination for immigrants from its former colonies like Morocco and Algeria since the second half of the twentieth century. While many issues regarding radicalization stem from migration stretching back decades, the rapid increase in immigrants from war-torn areas, combined with prevalent Islamist extremism, presents extremely serious issues for the French government.

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