Geopolitics roundup from Jane's

By Rick Morris

Jane's Information Group has some of the best intelligence in the world at its fingertips. On matters ranging from military to security to weaponry and beyond, the staff at Jane's provides top-notch information to its subscribers and probably runs rings around our frequently inept CIA much of the time.

The site includes free excerpts of its material in many different categories. From time to time here at The FDH Lounge Blog, we will link directly to their outstanding material on many subjects and allow those of you who are very much concerned with geopolitics and the world around us to keep up on important matters.

SECURITY
Tribal turmoil - Kenyan election exposes ethnic fissures
Kenya: Teetering on the brink?
Kenya's urban battlefield
US terrorist watch list remains fundamentally troubled
Indian arms sales to Myanmar remain under scrutiny
Russian evolution
The $100 question - Security implications of rising oil prices
Can airlines live with $100 oil?
Farewell to arms
Power plays - Creation of the West African Gas Pipeline
Political fallout - The threat to Pakistan's nuclear stability
Bomb blast kills senior Lebanese army commander
US-led operation kills senior Taliban commander
Iraq insurgency unity collapses
Southeast Asia's tri-border black spot
JTIC briefing: LNG tanker terrorism
UN launches ISU to reduce WMD threat
US still hopes Musharraf-Bhutto deal can be saved
The Pakistan People's Party after Benazir Bhutto


DEFENSE
UK considers alternatives to Nimrod R.1 upgrade
UK RAF Nimrod inquiry says leaking fuel was likely cause
The Afghan National Army: nothing without NATO
Iran set to acquire S-300PTs from Belarus
Iran may have lined up S-300 SAM systems
Bush administration backs JDAM sales to Saudi Arabia
Russia tests cruise missile for Iskander TEL
Europe focuses on better co-ordinated maritime security
UGVs herald skip change in urban ops
UK moves on Challenger 2 upgrades
UK looks to arm expanded Reaper force
Australia's DSTO unveils weaponised robot
China marches forward
US budget request for increased defense spending masks squeeze on procurement and R&D
Mission fatigue - the future of military interventionism
Overstretched UK forces will hinder operational capability, says report
On the cusp: Georgia country briefing
Training programs signal deepening US ties with West Africa
India's AAD-02 intercepts target missile during first trial
Russian industry hits high-tech low
Norway and Russia eye Arctic energy
Eyeing up the new Arctic - competition in the Arctic Circle
Japan broadens horizons
Japan requests development funds for Mobile Combat Vehicle
US Navy cancels LCS 4
Better by design? Navies focus on adaptable vessel concepts


PUBLIC SAFETY
New EU treaty worries US intel services
Security chiefs outline perimeter protection challenge
'Fusing' US terrorism information
Inside job: US seeks solutions for its security jigsaw puzzle
Landmines and armed non-state actors
Opinion: Let sleeping mines lie?
Policing Latin America
Infiltrating Colombia's intelligence agencies
Future generation: US alternative energy development
Parched land - Attempting to ease Australia's drought
Under Western eyes - Cocaine trafficking into the Iberian peninsula
European cocaine seizures on the increase
JTIC Briefing: Al-qaeda and the 9/11 anniversary

LAW ENFORCEMENT
Intelligence - Teutonic triumph
Technology moves modern battlefield into cyberspace
Gulf war - Pressure mounts on Mexico's Gulf Cartel
Fighting back - Mexico declares war on drug cartels
US plans to widen access to intelligence satellite data
Security agencies fall out in Russia


TRANSPORT
Beirut airport awaits post-war recovery
Domestic leasing signals take-off for Chinese carriers
Airlines refuse to cover A380-related infrastructure bill