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3142. Russia’s Energy Strategy
- Author:
- Tatiana Mitrova
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- The fate of the “Russian Energy Strategy Up to 2035” paper—a key document defining the country`s strategic priorities in this critically important industry and submitted by Russia’s Energy Ministry every five years—illustrates well the contradictory predicament of Russia’s energy sector. In 2015, after two years of preparations, the latest version was submitted to the government, but national authorities have not approved it until now. Behind the scenes, many conflicting interests prevent the setting of a clear and coherent long-term vision.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Russia
3143. Beyond Control: Iran and its Opponents Locked in a Lopsided Confrontation
- Author:
- Borzou Daragahi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- For much of its four decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been blessed with a weak political opposition. While Iran has faced competent and powerful foreign enemies—such as Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, the United States, and Israel—its Iranian political challengers, both domestically and abroad, have been largely fragmented, unrealistic in their aims, and sometimes as authoritarian as the regime. But, though few credible Iran watchers argue that opposition groups and figures arrayed against Tehran’s establishment pose a serious threat, Iran treats them as if they are mortal dangers to the regime. This paper attempts to sketch out the landscape of the various major political opposition groups, and begin to grapple with the question of why Iran perceives them as such a challenge
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3144. The Population of Russia, Today and Tomorrow
- Author:
- Gaiane Safarova
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Like every country, Russia has a very specific demographic footprint; its fertility, mortality, and migration rates, as well as its age composition, all affect its performance domestically and on the world stage. Russia’s current demographics were shaped by its history, particularly crises like World War II, and its future will be deeply affected by conditions like its dropping fertility rate and aging population
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Russia
3145. The Melians’ Revenge: How Small, Frontline, European States Can Employ Emerging Technology to Defend Against Russia
- Author:
- T. X. Hammes
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Perhaps the most famous quote from Thucydides is “the strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.”1 For thousands of years, it has been accepted that the weak must comply or face the fate of the Melians. Today, the technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution may be revising that truth. It is creating a wide range of small, smart, cheap weapons that can provide small states combat power previously reserved to major powers
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3146. European Energy Security and Transatlantic Cooperation: A Current Assessment
- Author:
- Richard L. Morningstar
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- This brief emerged from discussions during an Atlantic Council Global Energy Center roundtable on European energy security held in Brussels on March 27, 2019, as well as other events and individual meetings with government officials, private sector executives, and leading academics in the global energy sector. The collective dialogues and key takeaways are reflected in this brief. Because the conversations took place under the Chatham House Rule, the information will not be attributed to any specific individual. The brief will provide a current assessment of EU energy security focusing on the role of gas markets, while future briefs in the European Energy Security series will take a closer look at other critical issues impacting European energy security. Following these briefs, a final report in 2020 will propose specific recommendations for the US and EU governments on how to address transatlantic energy security issues.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3147. When the Friend of My Friends Is Not My Friend
- Author:
- Mark Katz
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- uring the Cold War, the Soviet Union posed a challenge to the United States throughout the entire world, including in the Middle East. Soviet activity in the Middle East, though, was also a challenge for many US allies in the region, and beyond. Soviet influence in the Middle East expanded during the 1950s and 1960s, in particular, as many in the Arab world became angry about US support for Israel, and as several pro-Western Arab governments were overthrown and replaced by anti-Western ones that actively sought Soviet support. Due to several factors, however, many of the gains made by the Soviets in the Middle East ended up being lost. These included: the defection of Gamal Abdel Nasser’s successor in Egypt, Anwar Sadat, from the Soviet to the US camp; Washington’s successful 1970s-era diplomacy in bringing about an Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement; genuine fear of the Soviet threat on the part of Saudi Arabia and other Arab monarchies; the 1979 Iranian Revolution, in which the downfall of a pro-Western regime did not lead to the rise of a pro-Soviet one, but to the rise of one that was both anti-American and anti-Soviet; and, finally, the collapse of both communism and the Soviet Union itself from 1989 to 1991
- Topic:
- International Cooperation and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3148. Beyond Control: Iran and its Opponents Locked in a Lopsided Confrontation
- Author:
- Borzou Daragahi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- For much of its four decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been blessed with a weak political opposition. While Iran has faced competent and powerful foreign enemies—such as Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, the United States, and Israel—its Iranian political challengers, both domestically and abroad, have been largely fragmented, unrealistic in their aims, and sometimes as authoritarian as the regime. But, though few credible Iran watchers argue that opposition groups and figures arrayed against Tehran’s establishment pose a serious threat, Iran treats them as if they are mortal dangers to the regime. This paper attempts to sketch out the landscape of the various major political opposition groups, and begin to grapple with the question of why Iran perceives them as such a challenge.
- Topic:
- International Security and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3149. Transatlantic Air Power and What to Do Now: Key to Deterrence, Key to Collective Defense
- Author:
- Frank Gorenc
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- As the world enters an era of great-power competition, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faces a renewed challenge from an old adversary. A Europe whole, free, and at peace is now at risk as Russian aggression challenges the traditional rules-based world order. Russia’s activities in and against Ukraine and Georgia, rampant intrusion on Western democratic processes and political discourse, blatant assassination attempts on NATO soil, support for rogue regimes in Syria and Iran, and military deployments and force accumulation in Kaliningrad and Crimea, as well as in the Sea of Azov, demonstrate that the threat is as real and compelling as it ever was
- Topic:
- International Organization and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3150. Navigating the Energy Transition
- Author:
- David Koranyi
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- As energy markets and technologies rapidly change, international oil companies (IOCs) are facing a set of interconnected challenges that will fundamentally affect their business models. From changes in the supply and demand picture, to shifts in how energy is produced and consumed, to public pressure to decrease greenhouse gas footprints, companies have a wide range of issues to consider as they decide how to prepare for an unpredictable future. In a new issue brief, “Navigating the Energy Transition: International Oil Company Diversification Strategies,” Global Energy Center Senior Fellow David Koranyi provides a macro picture of select IOC’s strategic (re)thinking and explores some of the strategies IOCs have undertaken to diversify their portfolios and prepare for the unfolding energy transition.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Political Economy, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3151. Evolution of the protection of civilians in UN peacekeeping
- Author:
- Lisa Sharland
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
- Abstract:
- his year marks twenty years since the Security Council added the ‘protection of civilians in armed conflict’ to its agenda and authorised the first UN peacekeeping mission to explicitly protect civilians. Yet efforts to carry forward that mandate in the field over the last two decades have been mixed. While there is consensus among the member states within the UN that peacekeeping missions should protect, there remain different views among the various stakeholders on the limits and expectations of peacekeepers when it comes to implementing this mandate. And the consequences for the civilians on the ground—which expect protection from the UN—can be dire.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3152. Protecting critical national infrastructure in an era of IT and OT convergence
- Author:
- Rajiv Shah
- Publication Date:
- 07-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
- Abstract:
- Today, we’re seeing an increasing convergence between the digital and the physical worlds. This is sometimes referred to as the convergence of IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology)—devices that monitor physical effects, control them, or both. More and more devices are becoming interconnected to create the ‘internet of things’
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3153. Between Japan and Southeast Asia: Australia and US-China economic rivalry
- Author:
- Malcolm Cook
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
- Abstract:
- Recently, the economic front of US–China major-power rivalry has deepened and expanded beyond the legalistic confines of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Many in Australia, which has the US as its security ally and main source and destination of investment and China as its main trading partner, are rightly concerned by this evolution.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3154. The European Union energy transition: key priorities for the next five years
- Author:
- Simone Tagliapietra
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Bruegel
- Abstract:
- The new members of the European Parliament and European Commission who start their mandates in 2019 should put in place major policy elements to unleash the energy transition. It is becoming economically and technically feasible, with most of the necessary technologies now available and technology costs declining. The cost of the transition would be similar to that of maintaining the existing system, if appropriate policies and regulations are put in place
- Topic:
- Energy Policy and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- European Union
3155. Cyberattack: What Goes Around, Comes Around
- Author:
- Ken Barker
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
- Abstract:
- The Canadian government is now openly discussing the possibility of making cyberweapons part of its official national defence strategy. The new development was revealed in a recent government white paper, entitled “Strong, Secure, and Engaged” (SSE), which outlined defence policy across a wide range of activities. Specifically, the paper discusses working toward a “more assertive posture in the cyber domain by hardening our defences, and by conducting active cyber operations against potential adversaries in the context of government-authorized military missions” with an explicit commitment to developing cyberattack capabilities. This direction not only opens up new possibilities for Canadian defence, it could also represent significant new risks. Without good answers to the difficult questions this new direction could raise, the country could be headed down a very precarious path.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3156. A Canadian Primer to the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan
- Author:
- Colin Robertson
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
- Abstract:
- On Friday, June 28, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosts the leaders of the 19 major economic nations and the European Union in Osaka, Japan. As G20 finance ministers noted after their meeting earlier this month “growth remains low and risks remain tilted to the downside. Most importantly, trade and geopolitical tensions have intensified.” Created in the wake of the 2007-2008 “Great Recession”, the G20 is economic multilateralism at work, an insurance policy to prevent globalization going off the rails. This 14th G20 summit is the culmination of a year-long series of ministerial meetings, hosted throughout Japan.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Canada
3157. Searching for a Middle-Power Role in a New World Order
- Author:
- Eugene Lang
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
- Abstract:
- The “America First” agenda will persist well beyond the life of the Trump administration. Washington no longer “has Canada’s back”. We are living in a new age of great power rivalry. Populism poses a major challenge to the rules-based international order. Adult supervision in global politics is in short supply. These are some of the themes that surfaced during a recent CGAI conference titled What Role for Canada on the Global Stage? Implied, if unstated, was that Canada is adrift internationally on these waters, in search of a role in a new world order of which most Canadians seem unaware. The question remained: How should Canada respond to these new global currents in a way befitting a middle power entering the third decade of the 21st century?
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3158. The Sub-Optimal Effect of Decreasing Military Capability – A Canadian Study
- Author:
- Ross Fetterly
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
- Abstract:
- Defence budgets seldom remain constant, despite the long-term orientation required in defence planning. However, short-term fluctuations in funding can disrupt military programs and activities, and the impact can last several years. This is, in part, due to the unique mix of personnel, equipment and operations, which the defence budget funds. In times of rapid and unplanned defence budget reductions, short-term decisions can be made that are not necessarily in the best interest of the efficient and effective management of the armed forces. Indeed, significant unforecasted funding reductions could produce and reinforce dysfunctional behaviour. Defence budget reductions, to be effective, must include reductions in each of personnel, operations and maintenance, and capital categories in order to maintain a balance between current demands and building future capability. This study uses the Royal Canadian Navy to demonstrate the fundamental cost relationships in the management and operation of defence forces, which become evident during periods of rapid funding reductions. Fiscal year 2004-2005 is used as the baseline year for the study. The Canadian navy is used as a case study, although similar case studies could have been done for the Canadian army or air force. The Canadian navy has warships divided between the East and West coasts, with one naval base on each coast. This study reduces the number of ships, and associated base support on each coast, in a defined sequence until all ships are eliminated, and illustrates potential savings throughout this process. The study concludes that unless infrastructure, as well as the number of military and civilian personnel, is reduced as ships are decommissioned, savings are minimal.
- Topic:
- National Security and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Canada
3159. Anatomy of a Buy: The Four Dimensions of Procuring a Future Fighter for Canada
- Author:
- Alan Stephenson
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
- Abstract:
- Purchasing a fleet of fighter aircraft is a complex process with many variables and the Canadian government has a duty to ensure the billions of procurement dollars required are properly spent. The interplay between the four dimensions involved in military procurement (military, technological, economic, and political) defies simple analysis. The government has directed the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure Canadian sovereignty, defend North America, and engage in extraterritorial missions. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has responded to its responsibilities to support these commitments with a thorough, capability-based Statement of Requirements for the future fighter, taking critical functionalities of operating in the future battlespace and emerging technologies into consideration.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3160. Does Canada Need a Foreign Policy Review?
- Author:
- Randolf Mank
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
- Abstract:
- Canada’s contemporary foreign policy has been shaped by deep integration with, and dependence on, the United States, offset by multilateral support for a rules-based international order. The Trump administration’s confrontational nationalism, combined with other global events and trends, has now disrupted Canada’s position and assumptions. This raises the question of whether or not it’s time for a Canadian foreign policy review. While the Trudeau government deserves credit for several initiatives, a series of discontinuities in Canada’s domestic and foreign policies suggests that our interests could be better served. The Canadian government has two main options: it can follow its current path of adjusting its policies in an ad hoc fashion, while waiting out the Trump administration and hoping for more favourable successors, or it can attempt to set Canada on a new path, in which case a foreign policy review would be warranted.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Canada