Latest Articles about Military/Security

Brief: How Hamas’s Degradation Opened Space for Protests

Executive Summary: The March 2025 anti-Hamas protests in Gaza reflected a moment enabled by Hamas’s temporary inability to suppress opposition due to wartime losses. The degradation of its Qassam Brigades, many of whom also serve in internal policing roles, weakened the group’s control over the... MORE

Militant Monks Fuel Government Terror in Myanmar

Executive Summary: An ultranationalist subset of Myanmar’s community of Buddhist monks have become active supporters of the military junta, offering the regime legitimacy and support in the ongoing civil war. This alliance reflects a broader pattern of authoritarian regimes weaponizing religious authorities to suppress dissent... MORE

Moscow Uses Force to Get More Soldiers from North Caucasus

Executive Summary: Moscow is facing greater resistance to its military draft in the North Caucasus because of increasing quotas and the disproportionate impact of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine on the region. The Russian government is applying more repressive pressure on North Caucasians... MORE

Russia Continues Conservative Pivot in Arctic (Part One)

Executive Summary: In response to what Moscow labels the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s militarization of the Arctic, Russia has significantly restructured its Arctic policies. Russia has expanded the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and enacted symbolic legislative and institutional changes to cement federal control... MORE

Belarus Downsizes Zapad-2025 to Reduce Escalation Risks

Executive Summary: Belarus has announced a significant downsizing and relocation of the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises with Russia in an apparent effort to reduce tensions with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The reduced scale of the exercises brings them below international thresholds that require... MORE

Lithuania Welcomes German Brigade

Executive Summary: The German Panzerbrigade 45 (Armored Brigade 45) was officially inaugurated in Lithuania on May 22, marking a step towards the permanent deployment of 5,000 German military personnel on NATO’s frontline by 2027. Roughly 3,200 foreign NATO troops—mainly the German-led Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup,... MORE