Areas of Expertise - Washington Institute For Defence & Security

08 Apr 22

NATO’s Northern Expansion

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sent shockwaves across the world, with ripples being felt both near and far from Europe. As NATO announces its new Strategic Concept at the 2022 Madrid Summit in late June, renewed Russian belligerence is sure to be a central topic of discussion. In the same vein, two unexpected new […]

29 Mar 22

Event: Central Asia in Russian Security Architecture

29 Mar 22

The Negev Summit: New Architecture or Cracked Foundation?

On Sunday of this past weekend, the settlement of Sde Boker made history as the site of the Negev Summit, the first Arab-Israeli diplomatic conference hosted in Israel. The foreign ministers of Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt and the UAE met to discuss several key issues of shared interest including curtailing Iran, deepening regional cooperation and […]

28 Mar 22

What’s Next for Mali?

The past few years have seen major political upheaval in the West African nation of Mali, with two coups in as many years. The most recent transition took place in May 2021, when President Bah Ndaw was ousted by his vice president and former special forces colonel, Assimi Goïta. The newly established junta, as recently […]

14 Mar 22

Why Religion matters: Safeguarding Spiritual and Community Leaders

Spiritual leadership is a combination of natural and spiritual qualities. It is used to influence God’s representatives towards assisting religious followers to achieve spiritual fulfillment. This webinar aims to present the factors that lead individuals towards the acceptance of violent extremism, the role of Community Leaders in preventing Violent Extremism and the role of Media […]

14 Mar 22

Germany plans to purchase up to 35 Lockheed F-35 jet fighters.

According to two government sources, Germany will buy F-35 fighter planes produced by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) to replace its aging Tornado aircraft, with one source suggesting Berlin plans to buy up to 35 of the stealth fighters. In early February, a German defense source told Reuters that Germany was leaning toward acquiring the F-35, but […]

09 Mar 22

Is a Chinese invasion of Taiwan coming soon? Unlikely.

While the eyes of the world are on Ukraine, curious voices have asked whether the island of Taiwan could face a similar fate at the hands of their long-time adversary, China. Beijing has after all refused to condemn the Russian invasion and made clear its relations with Moscow are both stable and amicable. While we […]

06 Mar 22

Video: Spotlight on the Western Balkans

Spotlight on the Western Balkans Video Link An assessment of security conditions in the region in light of international players’ interventions. The meeting will highlight funding of Jihadism, arms trade, and other security threats with a particular focus on UAE, Chinese and KSA activities in the region. Moderated by: Selen Eşençay | International Relations […]

19 Feb 22

China would diplomatically support Russia if it invades Ukraine

Experts believe China would back Russia diplomatically and maybe economically if it invaded Ukraine, exacerbating Beijing’s already poor relations with the West, but would refrain from offering military assistance. President Joe Biden warned on Friday that Russia’s Vladimir Putin has chosen to attack Ukraine within days, which Russia disputes. China’s foreign ministry has frequently chastised […]

11 Feb 22

Foreign mercenaries in the Balkans – mentors for destabilization and training radical groups

How foreign mercenaries “appear” in the Western Balkans First of all, these are fighters who appeared in this part of Europe during the 1990s. In fact, when the process of disintegration of socialist Yugoslavia has begun. The civil wars in the territory of today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia were a fertile ground for the […]