By Koen de Hek For more than a decade, the Nigerian government has struggled to contain an Islamic inspired uprising in the northeast of the country. Behind this rebellion is a group called Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, popularly known as Boko Haram. The group gained...
Earlier this summer, on the 25th of July, Beji Caid Essebsi, the first democratically elected president of Tunisia since the Jasmine Revolution, passed away. Essebi embodied the bridge between the post-independent past and post-revolutionary future. His death presents new challenges for the already uncertain future...
On the 9th of April, the activities committee of the JASON Institute for Peace and Security Studies and the study association for BA International Studies (BASIS) organized a special lecture on the background of the border conflict between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland...
By Rik van Dijk Since last month, the European Commission acquired a new weapon in the fight against cyber-attacks on EU soil. The European Council, the heads of the European member states, decided that to protect the EU’s interest, a set of ‘tools’ is needed to...
By Aileen Schuurmans Last month, the Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina passed away, author of the essay ‘How to write about Africa’. The essay, published in 2005, is a cynical parody of the way in which Western journalists and writers tend to write about Africa, as if...
By Charley Steur This article first appeared in JASON Magazine 43-2: Opportunities in a changing world For most time in history, men have dominated leading positions at the negotiation table. However, women and men experience conflict differently. Therefore, the inclusion of women is critical to reduce violence...
The Strategic Use of Cultural Heritage on a Global Stage This article first appeared in JASON Magazine 44-1: Strategy By Sander Mulder The destruction of cultural heritage in conflict areas has been a recurring theme throughout history. In modern conflicts, which are characterized by more complex, asymmetrical warfare, our ideas of these destructions...
By Lorenz van der Ven Iran is expanding its influence in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon. By supporting the Shiite-run Hezbollah party, it hopes to gain both political and military influence. Besides, strengthening Shiite influence in Lebanon can be seen as an additional counteract against...
This article first appeared in JASON Magazine 44-1: Strategy By Willemijn Bertels In today’s world, one may open any newspaper and find an item related to terrorism, be it on the front page or in the short foreign news section. Around the globe, terrorists have been successful...
By Ruben Tavenier Although the origins of the current Venezuelan crisis can be traced back to the policies of former president Chavez, the situation steadily deteriorated after Maduro took office in 2013. The severe economic crisis escalated into a humanitarian crisis, causing millions of Venezuelans to...