Author: M Barbu

Kata’ib Khattab al-Shishani: Fact or fiction?

Foreign fighters have played a major role in Syria’s ongoing conflict, with a presence in the country that numbered in the tens of thousands at its peak. One of the most mythologized sources of foreign recruits has been Chechnya, the once-separatist province of Russia’s North Caucasus that was reconquered by the Russian army in the early 2000s. Several thousand Chechen fighters traveled to Syria to fight in various opposition and Islamist factions, where their battlefield prowess made them a prized commodity among Syrian rebel militants.

Socioeconomic effects of energy transition in the Black Sea

Newton’s Third Law states that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This is relevant to many aspects of day-to-day life. Public policy and economic strategies are governed by totally different precepts, as different measures have unequal, multidimensional, and long-lasting consequences – many of which are impossible to determine beforehand.

(Statement) Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP): Statement Calling On Muslims In The Homes Of The Crusaders To Launch Attacks In France, In Response To What Was Published By The Charlie Hebdo Newspaper – 11 September 2020

AQAP statement following Charlie Hebdo reprinting cartoon of Prophet Mohamed that initially brought them to the attention of jihadis.

On 11 September 2020 al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) posted a statement that circulated Telegram calling on Muslims in the homes of the Crusaders to launch attacks on France, in response to what was published by the Charlie Hebdo newspaper. Additional chatter around the statement also circulated Telegram. The timing of the ‘call to action’ for lone wolf attacks cannot be ignored. The statement was released on 9/11 anniversary attacks in the United States. Given the length and lack of flashy imagery, it is unclear how inspired lone wolves will be willing to answer the call. The message will most likely only appeal to those insider AQAP base supporters in Yemen and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Transnational White Supremacist Militancy Thriving in South Africa

As white supremacist militancy has raced across the Western world, it has not spared South Africa from being swept up in the chaos. Domestic South African white supremacist movements both inform white supremacist movements elsewhere, and at the same time are influenced by global trends on the extreme right.