Ukraine: what might happen if the war spreads to a Nato country

March 20, 2022March 20, 2022 Mohammed Abbasi

Kenton White, University of Reading As Russian military activity moves nearer the Ukrainian border with Nato, the potential for direct confrontation between Russia and the alliance increases. On March 13, Russian aircraft reportedly fired rockets at the Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, 20km from Ukraine’s border with Poland, a Nato member. The possibility of a unit from the Russian or Belarusian military stumbling across a border is also high. Mistakes happen in all military organisations, something shown starkly in recent days when India accidentally launched a missile into Pakistan – two nuclear armed nations in a state of … Continue reading Ukraine: what might happen if the war spreads to a Nato country

How the US created, and lost, Afghan war

May 3, 2014 Mohammed Abbasi

It was a typical Kabul morning. Malik Ashgar Square was already bumper-to-bumper with Corolla taxis, green police jeeps, honking minivans, and angry motorcyclists. There were boys sellingphone cards and men waving wads of cash for exchange, all weaving their way around the vehicles amid exhaust fumes. At the gate of the Lycee Esteqial, one of the country’s most prestigious schools, students were kicking around a soccer ball. At the Ministry of Education, a weathered old Soviet-style building opposite the school, a line of employees spilled out onto the street. I was crossing the square, heading for the ministry, when I saw the suicide … Continue reading How the US created, and lost, Afghan war

Was Obama ‘for or against’ the Invasion of Iraq?

April 8, 2014 Mohammed Abbasi

Obama moral compass changes on IraqBy Adil E Shamoo In a speech in Brussels on March 26, President Barack Obama rejected Vladimir Putin’s assertions regarding the wrongs of the United States invasion of Iraq. Rhetoric aside, the Russian president has no moral standing for the invasion and annexation of Crimea. Nevertheless it is important to look at Obama’s own moral arguments in justifying an invasion that a majority of US citizens regard as a major US foreign policy disaster. Putin called into question the legitimacy of the coalition behind the Iraq invasion by pointing out that president George W Bush … Continue reading Was Obama ‘for or against’ the Invasion of Iraq?