The rise of social media has revolutionised political activism. Or has it? While greater access to the internet has enabled a new generation of protest, it has also ushered in a new era of online repression and mass surveillance. The triumphalism of the west should be met with a healthy dose of 'cyber skepticism'.

Historical precedent and an inability to win the hearts and minds of the locals in Afghanistan have set back the NATO/ISAF mission. Saddled with corruption, an antagonistic President Karzai, and duplicitous Pakistani neighbors, the Afghan security apparatus looks ill prepared to take control, with the 2014 American withdrawal date looming.

As the essential arm of the 'free press' in the UK, does the BBC take sides? In the context of Scottish Independence, there appears to be something out of balance... Is the BBC really expressing the view of the 'people'?

Can Scotland afford independence? Separating economics from politics in the discussion on Scottish Independence.

An expose of how the conflict minerals trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo is fueled by the production of something far less flashy, and more widely used, than diamond rings...