Poverty reduction and increased human security are the overarching objectives of most international efforts, notably Peacekeeping operations and Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration (DDR) programmes. Recently, the intent of these programmes has been questioned, considering recent deteriorations in their effectiveness in promoting peace, bringing economic stability and protecting those living in post-conflict areas. This was seen in […]
The attack on the Dover migrant centre on the 30th of October passed with suspiciously little coverage from media outlets and a reticence on behalf of the police to identify the incident for what it was: an attack motivated by extremist ideology. The fact that it was spurred by far-right ideology and perpetrated by a […]
On August 12, the acclaimed writer Salman Rushdie was stabbed multiple times at a literary event in Chautauqua, New York by 24-year-old Hadi Matar. The attack appears to have been in connection to the fatwa issued against Rushdie after the publication of The Satanic Verses, which has been embroiled in controversy for more than thirty […]
Bodyguard is a modern BBC drama that focuses on Sergeant David Budd, played by Richard Madden, and his role as a Personal Protection Officer in the Police. The shows’ themes heavily centre around modern terror threats in the UK, the delicate line that is security versus freedom and the toll of these on the individuals […]
Security measures increased as Edinburgh responds to the UK terror threat. Safety procedures temporarily put in place across high-profile capital sites in the aftermath of the London Parsons Green bombing. Over the past weekend, visitors across many of Edinburgh’s top tourist sites have been greeted by new provisional security protocols put in place around the […]
Bad guys have accents. Didn’t you notice? Consistently in British and American film and television, the bad guys have distinctive accents or strange reptilian features, impenetrable masks or persistent facial tics. They always stand out as ‘different’ or ‘other’. Indeed, when they are actually Caucasian, more often than not they are played by an actor […]
Social media is a ubiquitous feature in our highly technologised society. We normally see websites and applications such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as an innocuous way to tell other people about what is going on in our lives. Yet, these platforms can also act as highly sophisticated channels through which terrorist organisations can actively […]
Carving out a caliphate costs money. Through extortion, finance, and the spoils of war has the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS, been able to afford its military and political dominion in northern Iraq and parts of Syria. The vast revenues ISIS has managed to accrue mean it is perhaps the best-funded terrorist organisation […]