Mayank Bubna

Targeted air strikes remain a cornerstone fighting technique in modern counter-insurgency and other military operations. Yet, scholars and practitioners remain divided on the question of the efficacy of this battle mechanism. This article examines some of the underlying assumptions made in their previous analyses, and serves to nuance those approaches. Specifically, it looks at war, not as a static phenomenon but rather as a constantly evolving environment—one where such aerial campaigns affect insurgent counter-strike capabilities and decisions.

• Published: January 2013
• Journal of Defence Studies

This paper seeks to understand the nature of cooperation between the UN and other IGOs in ongoing conflicts. It will examine the security framework in which these multilateral arrangements were created, the gaps they were trying to cover, and the problems and areas of opportunities.

• Published: May 24, 2010
• Issue Brief

In order for ICC jurisdiction to truly have a sway it needs to be credible as a deterrence mechanism, and it should keep track of the political strategies used by various actors to resist a tribunal.

• Published: April 28, 2010
• Issue Brief

African militaries have only recently emerged from colonial rule and several decades of Cold War gaming by superpowers. As the continent continues to be riddled with wars, these armies have been an essential part of the problem and the solution. Their evolution over the time has occurred in waves of progress and arrest. While it is impossible to generalize about the entire continent's military apparatus, this paper highlights some of the larger trends that have emerged out of this evolutionary process.

• Published: April 2010
• Journal of Defence Studies

Despite the concerns surrounding the use of mercenaries, they remain an indispensable force on the African continent, so much so that they have been welcomed by governments, and grudgingly even been accepted by NGOs, international organizations and civilians.

• Published: February 16, 2010
• Issue Brief

Across the globe, a crucial but largely unseen and unheard of force in the Global War on Terrorism is emerging – young, hardened, militant, radicalized recruits from Africa – a force potent enough to compel governments to revise their handbooks on how best to contend with Islamic extremism.

• Published: January 14, 2010
• IDSA Comments

Ethnic tensions and political and economic corruption are rampant in Liberia, and dealing with these institutional problems is a monumental challenge for any outsider.

• Published: October 14, 2009
• IDSA Comments