War and Hunger: The Conditions of Violence
– M.S. The violence committed by Boko Haram has caused profound and irreversible harm to civilians, and acknowledging this harm is essential. At the same time, understanding how individuals become involved in such violence is necessary if it is to be prevented. Violence does not require monsters; it requires conditions in which ordinary moral limits […]
Pakistan-Afghanistan Border: How Armed Groups Can Dictate Politics
– Olivia Garcia, 2025 What is happening? On October 9, Pakistan bombed Afghanistan in two different locations, including the capital Kabul. Over the weekend, Taliban retaliated and the escalation continued. On October 15, they agreed on an immediate 48-hour ceasefire after talks in Doha, Qatar. However, on October 17, Pakistan attacked Paktika and other two […]
Washington and Bogotá Drift Apart: Inside the Petro–Trump feud
– Gabriela Mazzante, 2025 For three decades, cooperation between the United States and Colombia stood as one of Latin America’s most stable alliances. Washington poured billions of dollars into military assistance, intelligence sharing, and anti-drug operations that turned Colombia into a key partner in the “war on drugs.” But in 2025, that relationship fractured. What […]
Cyber Recruitment: Colombia’s Young Soldiers
– Gabriela Mazzante What is happening? In Colombia, children are being drawn into the country’s armed conflict under the guise of choice. Some join the guerrillas “voluntarily,” enticed by promises of wealth or belonging, while others are coerced outright. A guerrilla is an irregular armed group, such as ELN and FARC dissidents, that uses unconventional, […]
The United Wa State Army: The Most Powerful Armed Group in Myanmar
– Olivia Garcia Photo: UWSA troops in the Wa capital Panghsang, 2019 – The Irrawaddy What is the United Wa State Army? The autonomous Wa state in northeast Myanmar is ruled by the United Wa State Party (UWSP); the United Wa State Army (UWSA) is its armed wing. With around 45.000 soldiers, the UWSA controls […]
Gender, Insurgency, and Survival in Nigeria
– M.S. In April 2014, the abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria brought Boko Haram to unprecedented global attention. Images of empty classrooms and grieving families circulated worldwide, transforming what had largely been perceived as a regional insurgency into an international human rights crisis. The campaign to […]
We Have No Alternative
– Giacomo De Stefano – August 2025 The war being fought in Myanmar is one of the most important – and most ignored – conflicts of these years. The conflict erupted in February 2021 when, after a few years of democratic openings, the military regained control of the country, imprisoning elected leaders and violently suppressing all dissent. In […]
Living Between Rucksacks and Rain – My Trip Into Brigade 4, Karen State – PART 2
– Desmond Verbani Photo: One of the many nights spent sleeping around a campfire during our trek – Desmond Verbani The Checkpoint After rucking through the endless jungle, we made it to the river checkpoint that would soon take us to the village. When we stepped out from the treeline and onto the bank of […]
Living Between Rucksacks and Rain – My Trip Into Brigade 4, Karen State – PART 1
– Desmond Verbani Introduction This was my first ever trip into Karen State, into Myanmar, and frankly, my first time ever in Asia. I initially had plans to meet a foreign fighter with the Rammonya Mon Army in Bangkok, Thailand, before sneaking through the Thai-Myanmar border into Mon State itself. The plan was unauthorised, and […]
The Nigerian Insurgency: Sitrep
– M.S. Context Recent U.S. Christmas Day airstrikes targeting Islamic State (ISIS) positions in northwest Nigeria have renewed international attention on Nigeria’s long-running jihadist insurgencies. Although the strikes were directed at ISIS-linked militants in the northwest, many of the most intense militant activities in the country over the past decade have occurred in the northeastern […]