After the Arab Spring: power shift in the Middle East?: Libya: defining its future

The international community is approaching the anniversary of its intervention in Libya last year. What started as a protest for greater rights and democracy quickly transformed into a military uprising against a vicious dictator intent on suppressing a revolution with every brutal means at his disposal. The conflict was distinct from other uprisings elsewhere in the region for three principal reasons: first, the brutality with which Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime responded; second, the audacity, tenacity and speed with which the Libyan people became militarily organised and capable of exploiting Gaddafi’s disintegrating military; and third, the involvement of the international community, in the form of the NATO alliance that was backed up by Arab support, particularly from the Gulf state of Qatar

Libya elections: just the beginning

Libya’s journey toward democratic politics has started with promise. The country’s first national elections in almost five decades took place weeks ago and the whole affair was deemed largely free and fair, marred only slightly by minor violence at three polling centres in the east of the country

Labour must go back to conviction politics

In many respects, Labour needed this crushing electoral defeat to rebrand and re-position, writes Ranj Alaaldin. The absence of a strong narrative of conviction from Labour allowed the party to be effectively challenged by UKIP as the party of the ordinary person and the Conservatives as the party of aspiration

The West must hit ISIS harder

The international community is nowhere near using the full range of its military capabilities and the UK Commons Defence Committee was right yesterday to call on the UK government to do more in the fight against ISIS, writes Ranj Alaaldin. With momentum shifting against the group, ISIS must not be allowed to repair and rebuild

Rethinking secession: why Spain and Catalonia should not take stability for granted

The Catalan elections on 27 September have raised further questions about Catalonia and Spain’s future. Ranj Alaaldin argues that Spain and Catalonia should draw lessons from the experiences of secession movements in other parts of the world. He writes that while Catalonia may have legitimate grievances over its treatment by the Spanish government, in the current climate separation is likely to bring a host of problems that Spain, Catalonia and Europe are ill-equipped to confront

Islamic State may have attacked Brussels, but it is losing in Syria and Iraq

Much of the reaction to the terrorist attacks in Brussels on 22 March has focused on the perceived threat Islamic State (IS) poses for European citizens. Ranj Alaaldin writes that while IS has carried out a number of high profile attacks recently, this should not overshadow the fact that it is now a declining force in Syria and Iraq

Help sufferers of obesity and addiction help themselves

David Cameron recently proposed that those suffering from obesity and addiction might lose access to benefits if they refuse treatment. Critics, meanwhile, argue that the state should instead focus on increasing regulation of unhealthy products. In this article, Ranj Alaaldin argues that the problem should be confronted on both ends – it would be irresponsible not to encourage self-discipline and personal responsibility

Air strikes in Syria are a good start, but the lessons of Iraq and Libya must be learned

MPs have authorised UK air strikes in Syria. Despite this being a step in the right direction, defeating ISIS will not, in itself, bring political stability to Syria, writes Ranj Alaaldin. He warns that it is counter-intuitive to expect the coalition of jihadists and the regime to come together and contest elections, pursuant to the transition plan world powers have put forward. Instead, what the lessons of Iraq and Libya teach us is that peace requires stabilisation, good governance and reconciliation between divided communities. This cannot be achieved if the transition is led by regime elements and jihadists who have much in common with ISIS

Collective solidarity with France must transform into collective action against ISIS

The French government has stated that it will invoke the EU’s ‘mutual defence clause’ in relation to the Paris terrorist attacks, which indicates that when a state is attacked, all member states must show solidarity in addressing the aggression. Ranj Alaaldin writes on the potential military response France and its other western allies might pursue in Iraq and Syria in the coming weeks. He argues that inaction is no longer an option and that while the lessons of previous interventions such as those in Libya and Iraq must be learned, the West can and must intervene when it either faces grave and immediate threats or where proponents of reform face repression by state or non-state actors

Airstrikes on Isis targets in Syria and Iraq are legal underinternational law

Last week, the United Kingdom’s parliament voted to once again intervene militarily in Iraq in order to attack the terrorist group Isis. This follows more than a week of US and Arab world airstrikes on Isis targets in Syria. While the Iraqi government requested assistance from British and other foreign powers, the Syrian regime has not asked for intervention. Many commentators have questioned the legality of such a move under international law. In this article, Ranj Alaaldin and Bilal Khan argue that airstrikes on Isis targets in both Syria and Iraq are legal and justified under international law. It is the defence of Iraq that triggers the right to use force against Isis targets in Syria, they write