Javadbay Khalilzada

Recent developments in conflict zones show the proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or combat drones and how they transform and shape new warfare. A rapidly growing literature examines UAV’s performance and utilization by the first generation of drone producers and users like the U.S. and Israel. However, the acquisition, proliferation, and production of combat drones by middle and small states and how these new technologies are applied in warfare by these countries have attracted less attention. The paper explores Türkiye as a producer and active user of UAVs in conflicts in Africa and the Middle East and Azerbaijan as a small state that is a consumer of Turkish and Israeli drones. The paper argues that drones provide an advantage on the battlefield, increase precision in wars, and expand the methods used in wars against insurgency; however, the proliferation of drones simultaneously makes states prone to war and so increases the vulnerability of regional peace and security.

In his book, Ruling Russia: Authoritarianism from the Revolution to Putin, William Zimmerman illustrates how the Russian political system unfolded in roughly a century from the Bolshevik Revolution to the beginning of Putin’s third term of the presidency, 2012. The main argument that the author demonstrates is how the Russian political system continues to exist with its constant authoritarian spirit.