13 October 2016 The Land Of Three Governments. The struggle to establish legitimate authority in Libya. by Neil Tidmarsh Libya; land of chaos, anarchy and misery. Land of people-traffickers, refugees, militants, militias and terrorists. Land of no government, land of three governments. Three governments? How did that happen? It’s exactly five years since Colonel Gaddafi… Continue reading Issue75:2016 10 13The Land Of Three Governments: (Neil Tidmarsh)
Tag: Neil Tidmarsh
Issue 74:2016 10 16:Peace in Colombia
06 October 2016 Peace in Colombia? A long way to go yet. by Neil Tidmarsh Fifty-two years of armed conflict. Almost a quarter of a million people killed, over five million displaced. Half of the country too dangerous to visit. Marxist guerrillas fighting an ideologically driven rebellion of the rural poor. Drugs cartels financing the… Continue reading Issue 74:2016 10 16:Peace in Colombia
Issue73:2016 09 29:The Line of Control (Neil Tidmarsh)
29 September 2016 The Line of Control India and Pakistan square up over Kashmir. by Neil Tidmarsh Siachen glacier, Kashmir – a desolate wilderness of ice and snow high up in the Himalayan mountains. At 72km long, it’s one of the two biggest glaciers outside the polar region; and at an altitude of over 6000m… Continue reading Issue73:2016 09 29:The Line of Control (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 72: 2016 09 22:Two steps forward, One step Back (Neil Tidmarsh)
22 September 2016 Two Steps Forward, One Step Backwards Isis’s opponents shoot themselves in the foot – again. By Neil Tidmarsh Once again, it’s two steps forwards, one step backwards in Syria. Yet again, external powers involved in the civil war were on the point of burying their differences in the interests of peace, and… Continue reading Issue 72: 2016 09 22:Two steps forward, One step Back (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 71: 2016 09 15: Zersetzung (Neil Tidmarsh)
15 September 2016 Zersetzung A spy story. by Neil Tidmarsh Last month, US secretary of state John Kerry complained to President Putin about harassment and intimidation against US diplomats in Moscow. The Russian security services are allegedly conducting a campaign of zersetzung against them; mind games which involve breaking into the diplomats’ homes and re-arranging… Continue reading Issue 71: 2016 09 15: Zersetzung (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue71:2016 09 15:The Syrian Ceasefire (Neil Tidmarsh)
15 September 2016 The Syrian Cease-Fire Third time lucky? by Neil Tidmarsh The cease-fire was announced by US secretary of state John Kerry on Friday, and came into force at sunset on Monday. Russia has agreed to persuade Assad to respect the truce and allow humanitarian aid through to besieged rebel areas; it is also… Continue reading Issue71:2016 09 15:The Syrian Ceasefire (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 70: 2016 09 08: Week of the Living Dead (Neil Tidmarsh)
08 September 2016 The Week of the Living Dead Reports of the undead in Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe, North Korea and China. by Neil Tidmarsh Is he dead? Is he alive? For almost a week, these were the questions everyone in the most populous country in Central Asia was asking about their leader. Yes, we’re talking about… Continue reading Issue 70: 2016 09 08: Week of the Living Dead (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 69: 2016 09 01: Comfort food (Neil Tidmarsh)
01 September 2016 Comfort Food Some nourishment harvested from grim headlines. By Neil Tidmarsh Yakutsk, in Siberia, 3000 miles north of Moscow, where temperatures drop to minus 50C in winter, and the average pension is £190 a month; now, there’s somewhere that needs some serious cheering-up – and what better way to do that than… Continue reading Issue 69: 2016 09 01: Comfort food (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 68: 2016 08 25: Which War, Mr Smith? (Neil Tidmarsh)
25 August 2016 Which War, Mr Smith? The wars in Syria aren’t primarily about Isis. By Neil Tidmarsh This week, Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith said that we must engage in talks with Isis to try to end the Syrian war. “The Syrian war”? Which war did he mean, exactly? Did he mean the civil… Continue reading Issue 68: 2016 08 25: Which War, Mr Smith? (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 67: 2016 08 18: Homo Ludens (Neil Tidmarsh)
18 August 2016 Homo Ludens The world at play – a serious business. by Neil Tidmarsh Have you had a crack at playing Pokemon Go yet? No, neither have I. You do know what Pokemon Go is all about, don’t you? No, neither do I. I haven’t the faintest. To tell you the truth, I… Continue reading Issue 67: 2016 08 18: Homo Ludens (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 66: 2016 08 11: What You Do Next Summer (Neil Tidmarsh)
11 August 2016 What You Get Up to Next Summer Somebody will know. by Neil Tidmarsh Here we are in high summer. Mid-August. The time of year when international relations are at their most strained. Diplomats and politicians are working right round the clock to defuse a continuous stream of unsavoury and dangerous incidents, any one of which… Continue reading Issue 66: 2016 08 11: What You Do Next Summer (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue65: 2016 08 04: Wolf at the door (Neil Tidmarsh)
04 August 2016 Wolf At The Door Trouble in store for Italy. By Neil Tidmarsh The wolf – the symbol of ancient Rome, the saviour of Romulus and Remus – is thriving in today’s Italy. It was given legal protection in 1971, when its wild population was down to less than 100, and in the… Continue reading Issue65: 2016 08 04: Wolf at the door (Neil Tidmarsh)
Issue 63:2016 07 21: The Other Side of the Hill (Neil Tidmarsh)
21 July 2016 The Other Side of the Hill The new Cold War and an old problem with guesswork. by Neil Tidmarsh “All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don’t know from what you do; that’s what I call ‘guessing what was… Continue reading Issue 63:2016 07 21: The Other Side of the Hill (Neil Tidmarsh)
