Abu'l-Fazl Beyhaqi’s eleventh-century history offers enduring lessons in military strategy, from the dangers of overconfidence and misjudging an adversary to the importance of logistics, adaptation and sound decision-making. Through Beyhaqi’s account of military setbacks and strategic decline, this article explores why historical insights remain relevant to understanding the challenges of warfare today.
War-related disruption, economic pressure and growing public dissatisfaction are increasingly converging across the Middle East. The conditions differ from those of 2011, but their interaction could create a second-order Arab Spring dynamic in which external conflict feeds existing domestic grievances and produces a new wave of regional unrest.
Written in 1899 as America crossed into overseas empire, Rudyard Kipling’s The White Man’s Burden offers a revealing view of power, responsibility and the assumptions of imperialism. More than a century later, its deepest question remains: does the power to intervene confer the wisdom or the right to reshape another society?
As the global order becomes increasingly multipolar, South Africa faces a strategic dilemma: it possesses significant geopolitical advantages but lacks a settled conception of its national interest. This article explores whether strategic identity & culture, sovereignty and strategic autonomy can provide common ground despite the country's competing histories, identities and political traditions.
Foreign policy is often presented as a calculation of national interest, separate from emotion and morality. Yet national interest itself is shaped by history, values and strategic culture, raising a difficult question: when principle, international law and material interests conflict, how should a state decide what it ought to do?
South Africa inherited distinct military and political traditions that were never fully synthesised into a coherent post-1994 strategic culture. Rebuilding effective military strategy and doctrine therefore requires neither restoration nor rejection, but a deliberate synthesis of professional, technological and operational strengths with the legitimate lessons of the liberation experience.
Recurring disruptions in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz have restored the strategic importance of the Cape Sea Route. Yet South Africa continues to treat its maritime position primarily as a transport issue rather than a national strategic asset. This article argues for an integrated national strategy to transform geographic advantage into economic resilience, maritime security and national power.
South Africa's draft Strategic Petroleum Stocks Policy is about far more than fuel security. It signals a renewed appreciation that national resilience cannot be left entirely to market forces, and that strategic endurance requires deliberate investment before—not during—times of crisis.
Amazon's planned entry into South Africa's satellite internet market fundamentally shifts the Starlink debate from individual companies to the governance of strategic digital infrastructure. As communications infrastructure becomes increasingly central to national development and resilience, states must develop governance frameworks that balance investment, local capability, digital sovereignty and national interests.
The funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demonstrates how states can employ ritual, symbolism and mass mobilisation as instruments of strategic communication before military force is ever employed. Recognising and correctly interpreting such signals is an increasingly important competency for military professionals operating in a multipolar world.
Defence research is about far more than technology. It is the mechanism through which a defence establishment learns, adapts and remains strategically relevant. This article argues that the real challenge is not simply increasing R&D expenditure, but ensuring that research continuously informs strategy, doctrine, capability development and defence policy.
Five years after the July 2021 unrest exposed serious weaknesses in South Africa's national security architecture, questions remain about the country's preparedness for future instability. Drawing on the findings of the Expert Panel and SAHRC investigations, this article examines what lessons were identified, what vulnerabilities remain, and whether South Africa is better equipped to prevent localised unrest from escalating into a broader national crisis.
