In a pre-dawn attack on April 15, 2012, militants belonging to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) stormed the Bannu Central Jail in the district of Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KP). In what is considered the largest prison break in Pakistan’s history, the Taliban successfully freed... MORE

NATO’s Open Door Policy is as old as the Alliance itself, and remains to date a core principle of the Alliance. Under NATO’s founding treaty, the “Allies may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other European state in a position to further the principles of this... MORE

An apparently random movement of a Russian Special Forces battalion located in the Central Military District (MD) may be an indication that the General Staff is increasingly concerned about future security in Central Asia. Moreover, it may be an additional sign of the persistent experimentation... MORE

NATO’s summit on May 20 in Chicago has brought Georgia slightly closer to the “open door” of membership in the Alliance. The Chicago summit’s declaration reaffirms earlier decisions, committing NATO to positive consideration of Georgia’s membership aspirations. The Chicago document reads: “At the 2008 Bucharest... MORE

Every spring, the director-general of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) goes before the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign and National Defense Committee to discuss national security-related developments. Befitting Taiwan’s focus on cross-Strait affairs and the Chinese military, the NSB chief, Tsai Te-sheng, almost always has something interesting... MORE

It appears the Caucasus Emirate’s representatives finally realized that it is no longer enough to talk about “worldwide jihad” and position the war in the Caucasus as part of it. Caucasus Emirate websites normally provide information about jihadist achievements around the world – in countries... MORE

Despite the constant upbeat reports from Russian ministries and agencies concerning the “neutralization” of 316 militants in the North Caucasus since the start of 2012, the number of militants in the region for some reason does not appear to be decreasing. “Neutralization,” as a rule,... MORE

A two-day NATO Summit in Chicago was concluded on May 21. Turkey considered the summit as an opportunity to pursue three major issues: highlight the crisis in Syria, negotiate with the US to buy high-tech American-made Predators drones, and test the waters for President Abdullah... MORE

With the salient exception of Georgia, NATO basically ignored its own immediate eastern neighborhood at NATO’ Chicago summit (May 20-21). Europe’s East – a “gray zone” of six countries bordering on NATO and the EU – faces a deepening security vacuum and Russian re-expansion. This... MORE

Speculation on the future shape of the new Russian cabinet has developed with unusual fervor, and Russian journalist Ignat Kalinin recently addressed the issues revolving around the next government’s precise formulation. He noted that one source suggested that Putin wants to enlist the Russian officer... MORE