La dichiarazione di lunedì notte in cui l’esercito keniota affermava di avere ormai il controllo su quasi tutto il Westgate Mall, nonostante alcuni membri del commando di Al Shabaab fossero e siano ancora asserragliati all’interno del centro commerciale, può essere considerata una buona metafora di ciò che continua ad accadere sul piano regionale.
Lo scorso 7 gennaio le forze islamiste e i Tuareg che si riuniscono intorno alle sigle di Ansar Dine, Mujao, Aqim e Mnla hanno lanciato un’importante offensiva militare verso il sud del Mali con l’obiettivo di conquistare Bamako. La Francia, in qualità di ex potenza coloniale, già dallo scorso 11 gennaio, ha accolto solitaria la richiesta di aiuto del presidente ad interim Diocounda Traoré.
A dieci anni dalla guerra, l’Iraq resta un Paese instabile dilaniato dalle violenze settarie e dal terrorismo jihadista. La caduta della dittatura ha fatto riemergere le rivalità etnico-religiose tra le comunità di sciiti e sunniti e la situazione politica rimane lontana da quanto auspicato dagli Stati Uniti e dai loro alleati. Abbiamo intervistato l'ambasciatore Maurizio Melani, già ambasciatore italiano a Baghdad, per chiedere una sua opinione sugli elementi di magg
In the wake of the killing of more 300 Muslim worshippers by allegedly Jihadist militants during al-Rawdah massacre in November 2017, President Sisi launched a new military campaign - “Comprehensive Operation-Sinai 2018” - with the aim of putting an end to terrorism and restoring security within three months in turbulent Egypt. The military operation, which precedes the presidential election of March 26-28, 2018, has pursued growing repression of the opposition and militarization of institutions in the country.
The European Union Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King endorses ISPI's report "Fear Thy Neighbor: Radicalization and Jihadist Attacks in the West".
The vast majority of jihadists come from or have connections with specific areas or districts within different states. They can be labelled as local/regional "hotbeds" of extremism, each of the them with unique characteristics that lead to "exporting" fighters or creating IS–controlled zones. What are the differences and similarities amongst the various "hotbeds"? Which are the causes and who are the largest contributors to the jihadist militancy?
Terrorism is constantly evolving. Over the last years, local radicalization phenomena and the flow of fighters moving between Europe and the Middle East have had a major impact on the European security. Such a situation seems to prove the need for a broader strategy to counter radicalization, which takes into account the extent and the diversity of the causes behind the spread of the jihadist threat.
North Africa is a geographically strategic region for Italy. Currently, however, the region navigates troubled waters. The Libyan crisis, the rise of the so-called Islamic State (IS), migration flows and economic and energy relations in the Mediterranean basin are key priorities for Italian foreign and security policy. On Libya, the country’s internal chaos has paved the way for the expansion of IS and further increased migration flows from the region. Turning to Egypt, until recently Italy used to be its first European economic partner. However, relations with the al-Sisi regime worsened in the aftermath of the Regeni diplomatic rift. At the same time, Tunisia is facing a difficult transition and the future of the Algerian leadership seems to be still uncertain. How is the Italian government coping with current challenges? The Vienna conference (May 16), co-chaired by Italy and the United States, aimed at finding viable options to the Libyan impasse. Over the last two years, Matteo Renzi’s government tried hard to follow a wider multilateral approach, mainly hinging upon the UN and the EU. In order to foster the Italian role in the wider Mediterranean region, Renzi sponsored Federica Mogherini’s appointment as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR). Despite all these efforts, Italy is still struggling to cope with the many challenges in its southern neighborhood. Although the Italian government is working to escape the fate of a stalemate in the region, a way out from the crisis is still there to be found.
Tunisia is one of the key partners for Italian and European politics in the southern Mediterranean. At least, it should be so. The perception, on the other hand, is that most European partners have forgotten Tunisia. The reason is simple: the country had a relatively peaceful “revolution” if compared with other North African countries and five years after taking its path towards democracy this seems to be successfully launched. Unlike Libya or Syria, Tunisia is at peace.
Libya has always been among Italy’s priorities in foreign policy, if not the main item on the country’s agenda. The Vienna conference (16th May) was co-chaired by the United States and Italy. The Conference tried to give a new impulse to the solution of the Libyan crisis.
