Israel: the Military Issues Related to Striking at Iran Nuclear Targets

In recent months Israel has become increasingly worried about Iran's nuclear program and the possibility that it might be geared towards warfare. The recent publication of a US intelligence report about Iran stopping its nuclear weapons research and development program in 2003 is a warning that the US might not be fully committed towards a military option, despite the report itself having been considered unreliable by both Israeli and British intelligence agencies. This encourages the idea that Israel could launch a strike at Iranian nuclear sites on its own, like it did in 1981 against the Osirak reactor in Iraq.Distance, lack of surprise, multiple targets involved, and the inability to avoid an Iranian missile counterstrike make such a plan very risky. Therefore Israel might decide to avoid this line of action unless in a desperate situation, and meanwhile use any diplomatic means to obtain the needed US military aid. Continue...

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Lorenzo Nannetti

(18 March 2008)

Latin America: the drug trafficking system

Latin America is the world's leading producer and seller of cocaine, with South American drug centres representing real axes of power in control of considerable economic means and wartime arsenals. The primary countries interested in cocaine production are Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil. But Columbia is the South American country most heavily involved in the production and trafficking of narcotics. Its drug traffickers are promoting a new trend that made Western Africa its point of support for narcotics trafficking into the old continent. In short, if law enforcement interventions against drug trafficking witnessed a certain amount of success in North America, Europe has instead become a large drug market, particularly for the cocaine originating from South America. Continue...

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Eleonora Maria Pani

(02 January 2008)

Croatia: primary political objective is fast integration into the European Union

For the day after the outcome of Croatia elections, three factors emerge in presentation of changes that would allow the country to revaluate its current status in the path to integration: (1) the formation of a government, both in terms of the continuation of the conservative government led by Ivo Sanader as well as that headed by Zoran Milanovic's Democratic Socialists, will not substantially change its approach to the EU; (2) changes, if they occur, will have a principally political scope that, focused within the country, will attempt to stress the distinction between the two alliances and the two leaders; (3) the only element that could, not substantially, make life more difficult for the Sanadar Democratic Union of Croatia, which is currently in possession of 61 of the 77 votes necessary to form a government, would be the Citizens' party in the case that it should ever decide to ally with Parliament. Continue...

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Tomas Matraia

(21 December 2007)

Africa: the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (part 2)

The al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb is one of the most interesting and decisive exemplifications of the evolution of a jihadi group from a primarily nationalistic movement to an organization that imposes its own strategic guidelines and acts in accordance with the influence of the pan-Islamic al-Qaeda structure. Despite the fact that terrorist acts committed up to now had been carried out within Algerian borders, significant indications of change imply the adoption of a new Al-Qaeda strategy: the employment of tactics and techniques reminiscent of the Iraqi theatre, the resolve to hit even c.d. soft targets (such as employees and facilities owned by western companies), support to jihadi activities in sensitive combat zones (such as Chechen and Iraq), the consideration of Europe, not merely as an area for recruitment and a source of logistical-financial support, but also as combat territory (profiting from a considerable network of Maghrebi on the continent), and the use of internet as a sounding board to spread militant activity propaganda. Continue...

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Emilio Palmieri

(20 December 2007)

Africa: the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (part 1)

The al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb is one of the most interesting and decisive exemplifications of the evolution of a jihadi group from a primarily nationalistic movement to an organization that imposes its own strategic guidelines and acts in accordance with the influence of the pan-Islamic al-Qaeda structure. Despite the fact that terrorist acts committed up to now had been carried out within Algerian borders, significant indications of change imply the adoption of a new al-Qaeda strategy: the employment of tactics and techniques reminiscent of the Iraqi theatre, the resolve to hit even c.d. soft targets (such as employees and facilities owned by western companies), support to jihadi activities in sensitive combat zones (such as Chechnya and Iraq), the consideration of Europe, not merely as an area for recruitment and a source of logistical-financial support, but also as combat territory (profiting from a considerable network of Maghrebi on the continent), and the use of internet as a sounding board to spread militant activity propaganda. Continue...

€ 7 / 3453 Words

Emilio Palmieri

(10 December 2007)

India: new agrarian reforms

The agricultural sector contributes about 21% of the Indian Gross Domestic Product, satisfying 11% of exportation and supplying jobs to nearly 56.4% of the population. Agrarian reform has been in the forefront of government politics for over 20 years, and sector growth has been accompanied by development in all correlated areas (industry, transportation networks). The drop in agricultural yield has drawn attention to problems endemic to the sector and has driven agrarian policies towards greater agricultural qualification. Continue...

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Natascia Nicoletti

(20 November 2007)

International trading: threats to maritime commercial traffic

The sea transports nearly 90% of world commerce of goods and services, but despite this remains less regulated and controlled in comparison to land and sky: security codes introduced in recent years are not regularly implemented by ship owners or by states, primarily in areas where controls remain rudimentary. The principal threat to navigation safety and international trading comes from communication between terrorist and pirate bands, and from the realization of their destructive aims via the use of small projectile crafts packed with explosives and driven against the hulls of military and merchant ships. The settings in which an attack may occur are manifold, at which point it becomes impossible to identify a single response. Continue...

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Elisa Morici

(13 November 2007)