Author - ab_mnbr

A Year Of U.S. Militarism

By Marjorie Cohn

One of the most alarming developments in U.S. foreign policy in 2016 was the ratcheting up of the new iteration of the Cold War. Read More

Has The OPEC Rally Gone Too Far?

By Nick Cunningham

In January, oil prices were melting down, dropping below $30 per barrel. The industry was panicking, slashing spending and jobs, and it was hard to see any evidence of a rebound. Read More

Global Threat Forecast 2017 – Analysis

By Rohan Gunaratna

In 2017, the so-called Islamic State (IS) will decentralise posing a pre-eminent terrorist threat. To deter the international community against continued intervention in its heartland IS will stage attacks worldwide. Read More

The 21st Century Gold Rush (4)

By Malia Politzer and Emily Kassie

The biggest refugee crisis in recorded history has engulfed continents, swung elections and fueled the rise of nativism. It has also made a lot of people very, very rich. Read More

In Libya ‘there are no winners today’

By Zena Tahhan

Libyan officials from the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Central Bank of Libya are expected to convene in the Italian capital, Rome, to flesh out the details of an agreement aimed at pulling the North African nation out of an economic crisis. Read More

Oil in 2016: the year that OPEC returned

By Anjli Raval

With price languishing, the cartel surprised many with the first cut since 2008. After a two-year experiment with free markets, the pain of low oil prices forced the world’s biggest producers to join forces in 2016 and tackle a global supply glut. Read More

Libya Is Spiraling into Bloodshed and Disaster

By Vijay Prashad

Two major Arab cities fell on Tuesday – Aleppo (Syria) to the Syrian Arab Army and Sirte (Libya) to the militia armies of Misrata. One of the common features of these battles is the sheer destruction of the cities. Read More

Peace in Libya? One man Donald Trump can’t ignore

By Jason Pack and Rhiannon Smith

Khalifa Haftar’s growing power means an almost certain key role under any new political agreement. The Trump administration and the promise of a new set of geopolitical alliances are on the horizon and even Libya is feeling the winds of change. Read More

A Tortuous Path to Peace in Libya

A year after Libya’s rival governments signed an agreement to unify, eventually leading to the creation of the Government of National Accord, Libya is more fragmented than ever, and clashes between warring militias continue around the country. Read More

A Study in Contrasts – Benghazi vs. Ankara

By Bob Barr

In Roman ruler Julius Caesar’s account of the Gallic Wars, written in the ancient manuscript Commentarii de Bello Gallico, he describes the principle of “murum aries attigit” – which states that a soon-to-be-conquered city would be offered conditions of surrender by the Romans, but only “before the battering-ram should touch the wall.” Read More