The Folly of Bombing the Islamic State
“Bin Laden was very proud that he had only spent 500.000 dollars on the 9/11 attacks. The US in response to those attacks has probably spent 3 trillion dollars. So as a return… Continue reading
Category Archive: War on Terror
ISIS in Libya: Endemic or Imported?
“Extremism and ignorance existed in Libya for a long time. […] The Gaddafi regime was using heavy-handed tactics [against those they deemed extremists],” explains former Libyan Minister of Justice Salah al-Marghani. As long… Continue reading
The Islamic State: Libya as a new stronghold?
“A lot of things need to happen before Libyans either side have the capability and capacity to take action against these radical groups” Professor Dirk Vandewalle (Dartmouth College) analyzes the probability of the… Continue reading
Killing Al-Baghdadi: the end of the Caliphate or part of the narrative?
“IS and all jihadis believe that there is going to be war until the day of reckoning. A Caliphate will be re-constituted before the end times. But there are 12 Caliphs before the… Continue reading
Bernard Haykel on Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State
“IS is a symptom of a deep feeling amongst Sunni Arabs of being disenfranchised. […] It is the same sentiment that led to the emergence of Al-Qaeda.” Professor Bernard Haykel of Princeton University’s Department… Continue reading
How Islamic is the Islamic State?
“To say that IS is outside of the interpretive parameters of Islam is factually incorrect. […] There is no question that these people are drawing inspiration from Islamic texts. And they know these… Continue reading
Drones: setting a Precedent?
The use of drones has increased tremendously. Willemijn Verkoren (director at CICAM) argues that the current use of drones by America for targeted killings is clearly in violation of regular international and military… Continue reading
Drones as Self-Defense: the need for a Drone Court
How is the principle of self-defense used to legitimize the US drone strikes? Amos Guiora (Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Global Justice at the S.J. Quinney College of Law) analyzes… Continue reading
Guiora: the Drone Paradigm
Amos Guiora warns that the current American use of drones creates a deeply troubling paradigm. Guiora is Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Global Justice at the S.J. Quinney College of Law… Continue reading
Drones: weighing the pros and cons
The use of drones has grown immensely, with the American air force now training more drone operators than fighter and bomber pilots. Willemijn Verkoren (director at CICAM) problematizes the use of drones by… Continue reading
Drones: Comparing Israel and America
What are the differences between the drone policies of the US and Israel? Amos Guiora (Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Global Justice at the S.J. Quinney College of Law)… Continue reading
Guiora on a Personal Note: who is a legitimate target?
Amos Guiora (Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Global Justice at the S.J. Quinney College of Law) introduces himself, and elaborates on the legal complexities of counter-terrorism and drone policies. Who… Continue reading
Mary Kaldor on the War on Terror
How has the War on Terror impacted the global sense of hope and optimism of the 1990s? Mary Kaldor (Professor of Global Governance at the London School of Economics) explains how visions of a world… Continue reading