Author Archives: Carl P Turner

This week’s blog briefly reviews the ongoing series on conflict in Africa, which thus far has covered Somalia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Of these, Somalia has been in continuous conflict the … Continue reading →

The current UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has its origins in an observation mission in 1999 at a time when the Second Congo War was in progress and the forces of nine countries and numerous … Continue reading →

There has been violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since the signing of a peace agreement in 2002 and establishment of a transitional government brought to an end the Second Congo War in 2003. … Continue reading →

Generally this blog focuses on ongoing conflicts and the military history of a country or region prior to the conflict is addressed only in terms of its context in relation to current events. Here we will break with this focus … Continue reading →

This and the following blogs on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue the series on conflicts in Africa. Thus far these have covered Somalia, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. In recent African history the DRC holds … Continue reading →

The conflict in Ukraine over the Donbass region lumbers on, generally unnoticed unless there is a spike in the violence, as was the case earlier this year with Avdiivka. While this is clearly a battle over the future status of … Continue reading →

Kurdish territories in Syria and Iraq have expanded dramatically as a consequence of wars forced upon the Kurds and they have demonstrated a knack for both political representation and the participation of women in political and military affairs. This is … Continue reading →

The Kurd’s were early victims of the Anglo-French carve up of the Middle East into mandates, which segued into sponsored nations, then independent nations with flags and borders and a jumble of nationalities and ethnicities sprawled across and within them. … Continue reading →

The future of ISIS and their self-declared caliphate is currently being decided on the battlefields of Syria’s War while the Iraqi’s finish mopping up the remnants of resistance in Iraq. The end of ISIS’s hold on a trans-state territory carved … Continue reading →

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a country that needs stability and prospects for its people in order to pull itself out of the bloody mire that it is in today. This is not an easy task for a government, … Continue reading →