Civil-Military Relations
Friday, February 27, 2015 - 06:53
Milenio — a generally pro-government newpaper — has unearthed military records that indicate the Army was aware of the events in Iguala the night of 26 September, but either failed to act, or… though negligence or design, released students to be taken by the police and gangsters.
Friday, February 27, 2015 - 06:49
Venezuela's Ministry of Defense has authorized the military to use firearms against demonstrators as a last resort in the demonstrations taking place in the country.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - 07:41
The United States strongly condemns the January 20 aerial bombing of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in Frandala, Southern Kordofan by the Sudan Armed Forces.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - 07:22
Three years after the revolution, the specter of torture and police abuse still hangs low over the country. While no longer sanctioned by the state, police brutality and torture remain prevalent, according to human rights organizations and Tunisian civil society groups. Scant legal repercussions for these human rights violations have created a sense of impunity within the police force, further encouraging them to exercise authority by violent means. The current anti-terrorism operations that the country is pursuing have added to fears that torture could once more become a systematic tool of the country’s security forces.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014 - 05:36
Even as 2014 comes to an end, the question of how to rebuild the broken state haunts Somalia’s political class, its neighbouring states and, of course, the US-EU-UN-led international community that has been trying to put together the deeply fragmented, divided and, in many cases, warring Somali factions.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 - 06:42
Vigilantes in Michoacan, Mexico recently set up blockades in nine municipalities to protest government inaction and call for the dissolution of the state-mandated force created earlier this year, raising questions about why they have chosen to reassert themselves now after several months of relative quiet.
Monday, December 1, 2014 - 06:44
While the military trials of civilians are nothing new in Egypt, the circumstances in which Egyptians can be brought before these courts have seen a worrying expansion. From January to September 2011 alone, estimates place the number of Egyptians who faced military trials under the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) at 12,000. A new law issued by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in October could likely lead to a significant rise in this figure, and raises more concerns about a further clampdown on freedoms.
Monday, December 1, 2014 - 05:24
Protests by disgruntled soldiers in Ivory Coast have exposed the government's failure to reform its mutiny-plagued armed forces and its rapid capitulation sets a dangerous precedent in a country with bright economic prospects.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - 05:02
One day after announcing that Chuck Hagel is being dismissed as defense secretary, his greatest foreign-policy legacy -- relations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government -- seems to be evaporating. Egypt's interior minister warned on Tuesday, Nov. 25, that police will not hesitate to use deadly force against Islamist protesters during a planned demonstration on Friday, which represents the first serious challenge to Sisi's government since elections in June.
Friday, November 21, 2014 - 06:18
Disgruntled former rebels now serving in Ivory Coast's army have agreed to end a protest over back pay and overdue benefits, they said on Thursday, following two days of talks with government ministers and a meeting with the president.