There's a real spiralling in violence... linked to an expansion of the resources of Boko Haram and an increase in the sophistication of weaponry, says Elizabeth Donnelly.
If anything, [intelligence gathering] has increased [since the Cold War]. The methods have changed — or so we thought — because it's more about industrial espionage and corruption these days, says James Nixey.
I think the proposed reforms are coherent with the agenda China's new leadership has set out. But this round of reform is still in the early days. It takes time for the decisions to be translated into actions, writes Roderic Wye.
Turkey had boundless ambition and energy to project regional power and influence in the post-Arab Spring Middle East. Reyhanli, and the Syrian civil war more generally, is a stark reminder of the messy transition in an unpredictable part of the world, writes Fadi Hakura.
'Obama is trying to get behind the rebels but he does not want to do anything that undermines the chance for a negotiated diplomatic solution to the conflict,' said Robin Niblett. Mr Niblett said the British government, by contrast, fears that attempts at a diplomatic solution will go nowhere – and that without providing some weapons to the rebels, the West will lose influence over them.
With all conflicts, you know where you start but you do not know where they end, says Yossi Mekelberg.
The biggest challenge for the next government will be to frame a comprehensive policy to tackle militancy and control the appalling spiral of violence, said Farzana Shaikh.
It is likely that Mr Mashaei will not be allowed to stand because he is not seen as having the necessary religious purity, says Sir Richard Dalton.
Ahmed Soliman discusses high hopes for Somalia's future.
Zimbabwe's finance minister, Tendai Biti, gave a revealing talk at Chatham House on the Prospects for Regional Cooperation and Investment Opportunities in Zimbabwe.
What the Turkish government has to do is first of all explain to the Turkish public the inevitable major political concessions that will have to made in order to ensure that this peace process becomes durable, says Fadi Hakura.
[Nigel Lawson's] memoirs, particularly a prescient speech at Chatham House in January 1989, are easily squared with this week's thunderbolt, at least in economic terms.
That the French did not help [CAR President Francois] Bozize contributed to his downfall, but the kingmaker was clearly Chad, says Alex Vines.
The only really compelling argument for continuing to support the government is the structural incoherence of the opposition, says Duncan McCargo.
In a Chatham House speech in the last days of his chancellorship in 1989, he said the European club was becoming inward-looking and protectionist, an over-regulated 'fortress Europe'.
[Hollande] needs to get some kind of economic recovery or he's not going to have a prayer of being re-elected, but he wants to do it without alienating his core vote, or his party, which is divided, says Anand Menon.
If the Somali government does not manage to quickly revive the economy... to create livelihoods for the masses of Somali people, and if it cannot sustain donor funding in order to continue paying the soldiers... then I am not sure how far the optimism that we currently see is really justified, says Dominik Balthasar.
If the Syrian regime is weakening and tries to move weapons to Hezbollah, Israel will assess its intelligence and capability to stop these movements, says Yossi Mekelberg.
In Europe, a perfect storm of parties are trying to tap into popular discontent with the established elite, says Matthew Goodwin.
Part of South Africa is developing, and the British government, through DfID could make a difference, said the country's finance minister at Chatham House.