Opinion Piece, NSN Colonel Nikolai Tsybulia, ostensibly the Defence Attaché at the Russian Embassy in South Africa, at first glance appears to be every bit an officer of the Russian Naval Infantry, often called the Russian Marines by Westen military observers, when he fulfills his diplomatic duties in his smart naval dress uniform. The Russian Naval Infantry is an elite unit in the Russian Armed Forces with a proud military history that dates back to 1705. The Naval Infantry also contains the Russian special forces unit that is the equivalent of the U.S. Navy Seals or the British Special Boat…

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) military mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), which was deployed on 15 July 2021 to fight the Islamic insurgents terrorising the northern Cabo Delgado province is scheduled to end by mid-July 2024. Mozambican security forces will then take full responsibility for security. In this article by the Institute for Strategic Studies in Africa, the authors question the wisdom of regional governments turning away from ISIS a global terrorist group on their doorstep. Jasmine Opperman and Piers Pigou state that SAMIM’s withdrawal to be completed by mid-July has allowed the insurgency to regain momentum.This article is republished…

Four Russian warships and a nuclear-powered submarine will enter Cuban waters next week as part of a preplanned set of military exercises between the two countries.The disclosure immediately drew comparisons with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 when the then Communist state secretly unloaded nuclear missiles onto the Caribbean Island.The nuclear submarine Kazan and three other Russian naval vessels, including the missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov, an oil tanker and a salvage tug, will dock in Havana, Cuban capital from 12-17 June, the country’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces said in a statement.A ministry spokesman said: “None of the vessels…

As the world eagerly anticipates the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics next month, a darker shadow looms over the festivities. The Microsoft Threat Analysis Centre (MTAC) has sounded the alarm on a significant uptick in malign influence campaigns orchestrated by Russia. These campaigns, employing a mix of fake news, bogus websites, deepfake interviews, and AI-augmented content, are part of a broader strategy to undermine the International Olympic Committee (IOC), French President Emmanuel Macron, and the integrity of the Paris Games. Russia’s embassy in France has hit back calling the allegations “Russophobic”. “The Embassy declares that the Russian Federation has…

SRF survey found strong support among ANC and DA voters for a coalition between the two parties.

I don’t see any reason for panic about South Africa’s political stability after the ANC lost its majority.

DA did not want to be in a situation where “the ANC, because of our unwillingness, is driven into the arms of the EFF and MK.”

Since the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, political uncertainty has run riot in Iran. In this article, which we are republishing with The Conversation’s permission, Afshin Shahi, Associate Professor in Middle East Politics & International Relations at Keele University, details how the new power vacuum has triggered a tense power struggle between hardliners at a time when Iran is facing severe internal and external challenges. Iran: president’s death has set hardliners jostling for position to replace ageing supreme leader

With Iran continuing its sabre-rattling in the Middle East, NSN speaks with Henry Jackson Society Senior Research Fellow Barak Seener, at the launch of his new report, Restoring Deterrence: Destabilising the Iranian Regime, where Seener calls for a new Iran policy of disproportionate response to Iranian aggression, including military strikes in Iranian territory, to destabilise the regime and scupper Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. In this interview, Barak takes us through the complexities of Iran’s machinations in the Middle East, how they are using proxies to foster regional instability, and how a more robust and aggressive response to Iran and its…

Former members of the Chinese Army are fighting for Russia in Ukraine as part of an international force of mercenaries recruited by the Kremlin.Videos on social media have allegedly shown two former members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recalling their experience of fighting for Russia in Ukraine.In one post on X(Twitter), a person who is named as Li Jianwei claims to have served in the PLA for two years and is now a Chinese mercenary fighting for Russia in Ukraine.In a 17 minute video, Jianwei, who comes from Zhengzhou, Henan, appears dressed in military uniform and provides a vivid…

South Africa is entering uncharted waters as the ruling African National Congress, following its historic loss of a parliamentary majority, has to decide within the next fortnight on who it will choose as a coalition partner to lead the country. It faces a binary choice between the market-oriented Democratic Alliance and the umKhonto weSizwe( MK Party) of former President Jacob Zuma, which has threatened violence and is spreading the narrative online that the election has been rigged. President Cyril Ramaphosa is reported to be advocating a unity government. The elections in South Africa were a moment of reckoning for the African National…

In a significant showdown marking the first face-to-face meeting between US and Chinese defence chiefs in two years, the hot-button issue of Taiwan took centre stage. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s defence minister, Admiral Dong Jun, convened in Singapore on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security summit.  During the 75-minute meeting, Secretary Austin voiced concern over recent intensified military activities by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) around the Taiwan Strait following the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te. Austin called China’s military exercises “provocative” and insisted that Beijing not use Taiwan’s “political transition… as a pretext for coercive measures”.…