« Previous |
1 - 100 of 246
|
Next »
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
2. Foresight and its application in ministries of foreign affairs
- Author:
- Javier Ignacio Santander
- Publication Date:
- 05-2022
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI)
- Abstract:
- Based on previous research regarding foresight capabilities of ministries of foreign affairs, this work focuses on the modern concept of foresight and of its application to foreign relations. Specifically, it aims to provide a summary of similiarities observed in the way in which foreign affairs ministries have developed foresight capacity.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Government, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3. AI and International Stability: Risks and Confidence-Building Measures
- Author:
- Michael Horowitz and Paul Scharre
- Publication Date:
- 01-2021
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- Militaries around the world believe that the integration of machine learning methods throughout their forces could improve their effectiveness. From algorithms to aid in recruiting and promotion, to those designed for surveillance and early warning, to those used directly on the battlefield, applications of artificial intelligence (AI) could shape the future character of warfare. These uses could also generate significant risks for international stability. These risks relate to broad facets of AI that could shape warfare, limits to machine learning methods that could increase the risks of inadvertent conflict, and specific mission areas, such as nuclear operations, where the use of AI could be dangerous. To reduce these risks and promote international stability, we explore the potential use of confidence-building measures (CBMs), constructed around the shared interests that all countries have in preventing inadvertent war. Though not a panacea, CBMs could create standards for information-sharing and notifications about AI-enabled systems that make inadvertent conflict less likely.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology, International Affairs, Military Affairs, Political stability, and Artificial Intelligence
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
4. A Roundtable on Lauren Turek, To Bring the Good News to All Nations: Evangelical Influence on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Relations
- Author:
- Andrew Preston, Darren Dochuk, Christopher Cannon Jones, Kelly J. Shannon, Vanessa Walker, and Lauren F. Turek
- Publication Date:
- 01-2021
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR)
- Abstract:
- Historians of the United States and the world are getting religion, and our understanding of American foreign relations is becoming more rounded and more comprehensive as a result. Religion provides much of the ideological fuel that drives America forward in the world, which is the usual approach historians have taken in examining the religious influence on diplomacy; it has also sometimes provided the actual nuts-and-bolts of diplomacy, intelligence, and military strategy.1 But historians have not always been able to blend these two approaches. Lauren Turek’s To Bring the Good News to All Nations is thus a landmark because it is both a study of cultural ideology and foreign policy. In tying the two together in clear and compelling ways, based on extensive digging in various archives, Turek sheds a huge amount of new light on America’s mission in the last two decades of the Cold War and beyond. Turek uses the concept of “evangelical internationalism” to explore the worldview of American Protestants who were both theologically and politically conservative, and how they came to wield enough power that they were able to help shape U.S. foreign policy from the 1970s into the twenty-first century. As the formerly dominant liberal Protestants faded in numbers and authority, and as the nation was gripped by the cultural revolutions of the 1960s, evangelicals became the vanguard of a new era in American Christianity. Evangelicals replaced liberal Protestants abroad, too, as the mainline churches mostly abandoned the mission field. The effects on U.S. foreign relations were lasting and profound.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Religion, International Affairs, History, Culture, Book Review, Christianity, and Diplomatic History
- Political Geography:
- United States and Global Focus
5. Supporting a Public Purpose in Research & Development: The Role of Tax Credits
- Author:
- Jake Taylor
- Publication Date:
- 06-2021
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Tax credits for research and development are a means of incentivizing the private sector to invest their own resources on challenging problems. However, in practice, the fungibility of tax credits and other monetary elements can lead to misalignment between the public good represented by R&D and the actions of the company. In this policy brief, we consider the existing mechanism of tax credits. We see how they can encourage private sector risk-taking to enable research and development (R&D) outcomes. However, our goal is to go beyond economic growth benefits, and to include the less tangible considerations of public good and public purpose in the research and development domain. We then suggest an expansion of tax credits focused on supporting the researchers involved in the R&D and encouraging innovation in both large organizations and in startups and small businesses. This approach builds upon the existing framework of agency-led, mission-defined support of the private sector used by the U.S. government, as occurs in other programs such as America’s Seed Fund (sometimes known by its acronyms, SBIR and STTR). The integration of specific agency- and mission-focused elements to the credit system ensures that these additive credits support research and researchers whose R&D outcomes will improve the health, prosperity, and opportunity for the U.S. as a whole. Specific means of implementing this public-purpose R&D credit system under existing authorities within the executive branch are suggested, along with the public-facing mechanisms for creating and maintaining the evaluation approach of what constitutes “public purpose” as science and society progress.
- Topic:
- Economics, Science and Technology, International Affairs, Tax Systems, and Tax Credits
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus and United States of America
6. Toynbee Coronavirus Series: Dominic Sachsenmaier on China, geopolitics, and global history post-COVID-19
- Author:
- Dominic Sachsenmaier
- Publication Date:
- 06-2020
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Toynbee Prize Foundation
- Abstract:
- Living through historically unprecedented times has strengthened the Toynbee Prize Foundation's commitment to thinking globally about history and to representing that perspective in the public sphere. In this multimedia series on the covid-19 pandemic, we will be bringing global history to bear in thinking through the raging coronavirus and the range of social, intellectual, economic, political, and scientific crises triggered and aggravated by it. Dominic Sachsenmaier, the President of the Toynbee Prize Foundation, is Chair Professor of Modern China with a Special Emphasis on Global Historical Perspectives in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Göttingen. His expertise centers on global and transnational Chinese history, with a focus on Chinese concepts of society and multiple modernities, among other topics. He is co-editor of the Columbia University Press book series “Columbia Studies in International and Global History“ and an elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
- Topic:
- Health, International Affairs, Geopolitics, Global Focus, Coronavirus, Pandemic, and COVID-19
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, and Global Focus
7. Aligning Venus and Mars: Striking the Appropriate Balance Between Diplomacy and Defense in International Affairs
- Author:
- Charles Ray
- Publication Date:
- 08-2020
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- American Diplomacy
- Institution:
- American Diplomacy
- Abstract:
- The issue of militarization of American foreign policy is one that has simmered for decades. The American preference for employment of economic pressure and/or military force as a ‘quick-fix’ to deal with international problems instead of a more nuanced diplomatic approach is not a phenomenon of the 20th or 21st century. The increased militarization of U.S. foreign policy of the last decade is a continuation of a trend that has existed in one form or another for most of the nation’s history. The over-reliance on military power in foreign affairs, the militarization of U.S. foreign policy, dramatically increased with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. However, almost from the beginning of the founding of the republic, under pressure from business interests concerned with maintaining or increasing their prosperity or groups interested in maintaining their positions of influence or power, American political leaders have often resorted to use of force for a short-term solution.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, International Affairs, History, and Militarization
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus and United States of America
8. Central Bank Digital Currencies: Tools for an Inclusive Future?
- Author:
- Eve Lee
- Publication Date:
- 09-2020
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) have rapidly evolved from a sci-fi concept to a plausible alternative to cash that is being studied by central banks all over the world. According to a Belfer Center tracker, over 50 central banks have pursued or are engaging in CBDC work as of August 2020. However, while 10 central banks have already piloted or announced plans to pilot a CBDC in the near term, most are in the early stages of research and experimentation. In this brief, we outline the common motivations driving central bank work on CBDCs. We then explore CBDCs’ potential impacts on financial inclusion, a primary motivation in developing and emerging markets that has also gained significant traction in developed economies during the COVID-19 related global recession. We conclude that for CBDCs to achieve its financial inclusion goals, more technical advancement in offline adaptability and policy deliberations around issues of identity and traceability are needed.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, Economics, International Trade and Finance, International Affairs, and Monetary Policy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
9. Intergovernmental checkmate on cyber? Processes on cyberspace in the United Nations
- Author:
- Erik Kursetgjerde
- Publication Date:
- 10-2020
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Cyberspace is an increasingly controversial field on the international agenda. Despite the fact that processes on the thematic have been going on in the UN since 1998, a more significant international agreement is needed on what basic principles should apply in cyberspace. Small states have the opportunity of pushing cybersecurity as a thematic priority in the United Nations Security Council – a path Norway could pursue in its forthcoming 2021–2022 Security Council term. The attribution of the assumed Russian cyber operations toward the Norwegian parliament earlier this year actualizes the addressing of the issue in the Council. The policy brief discusses the GGE negotiations on cyberspace in 2015 and 2017 - and gives policy recommendations on the way forward.
- Topic:
- United Nations, International Affairs, and Cyberspace
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
10. 2019: A Changing International Order? Implications for the Security Environment
- Author:
- Christopher Ankersen, Prof. William G. Braun III, Ferry de Kerckhove, Carol V. Evans, Kathryn M. Fisher, Samit Ganguly, Anna Geis, Sara K. McGuire, Kim Richard Nossal, Ben Rowswell, and Stefanie Von Hlatky
- Publication Date:
- 10-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College
- Abstract:
- KCIS2019 examined the implications of the changing international order for international security. It studied the hypercompetitive, multipolar environment in which we find ourselves, marked by a persistent struggle for influence and position within a “grey zone” of competition. This edited collection features contributions from academic and military experts who have examined the future of the liberal international order and what is at stake. These evidence-based examinations discuss the challenges to the order, and why it has been so difficult to articulate a compelling narrative to support the continuation of American leadership.
- Topic:
- Security, International Affairs, Armed Forces, and Army
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus and United States of America
11. BASC News
- Author:
- Vinod K. Aggarwal
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Berkeley APEC Study Center
- Abstract:
- Industrial policy in cybersecurity: Origins, evolution and implications
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Cybersecurity
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
12. From Third World Theory to Belt and Road Initiative: International Aid as a Chinese Foreign Policy Tool
- Author:
- Victor Carneiro Corrêa Vieira
- Publication Date:
- 12-2019
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Contexto Internacional
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
- Abstract:
- In 1946, Mao Zedong began to elaborate his theory of the Third World from the perception that there would be an ‘intermediate zone’ of countries between the two superpowers. From there, he concluded that Africa, Latin America, and Asia, except for Japan, would compose the revolutionary forces capable of defeating imperialism, colonialism, and hegemonism. The start of international aid from the People’s Republic of China to developing countries dates back to the period immediately after the Bandung Conference of 1955, extending to the present. Through a bibliographical and documentary analysis, the article starts with the following research question: What role did domestic and international factors play in China’s foreign aid drivers over the years? To answer the question, the evolution of Chinese international assistance was studied from Mao to the Belt and Road Initiative, which is the complete expression of the country’s ‘quaternity’ model of co-operation, combining aid, trade, investment, and technical assistance.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, International Trade and Finance, International Affairs, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, and Global Focus
13. Problematising the Ultimate Other of Modernity: the Crystallisation of Coloniality in International Politics
- Author:
- Ramon Blanco and Ana Carolina Teixeira Delgado
- Publication Date:
- 12-2019
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Contexto Internacional
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
- Abstract:
- This article examines a key element of the power relations underpinning international politics, namely coloniality. It delineates the coloniality of international politics, and elucidates the fundamental aspects of its operationalisation on the one hand, and its crystallisation into international politics on the other. The article is structured into three sections. First, it explores the meaning of coloniality, and outlines its fundamental characteristics. Next, it delineates a crucial operative element of coloniality, the idea of race, and the double movement through which coloniality is rendered operational – the colonisation of time and space. Finally, the article analyses two structuring problematisations that were fundamental to the crystallisation of coloniality in international politics – the work of Francisco de Vitoria, and the Valladolid Debate. It argues that the way in which these problematisations framed the relationship between the European Self and the ultimate Other of Western modernity – the indigenous peoples in the Americas – crystallised the pervasive role of coloniality in international politics.
- Topic:
- Post Colonialism, Race, International Affairs, Colonialism, and Indigenous
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Latin America, and Global Focus
14. Human Rights from the International Relations
- Author:
- Alejandro Anaya Muñoz
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL)
- Abstract:
- Human rights are a very important area in contemporary international relations. The doctrine of human rights was concretized after a process of development of more than three centuries after the end of the Second World War and has changed the institutional panorama and the relations between actors at the international level. On the other hand, regardless of its «lack of teeth», the international regime on the subject has transformed the way states relate to international bodies, transnational civil society organizations and other governments.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Civil Society, Human Rights, International Political Economy, International Affairs, and Norms
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
15. The Phenomenon of “Global Russia”
- Author:
- Emil Avdaliani
- Publication Date:
- 12-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies (BESA)
- Abstract:
- As Russia increases its geopolitical involvement across the globe, the concept of “Global Russia” has been gradually taking hold. Though Russia is inherently weak, it is likely that Moscow will continue its global initiatives throughout the 2020s. Only by the end of that decade and into the next is there likely to be a gradual decline in Russia’s adventurism abroad.
- Topic:
- International Affairs, Geopolitics, Grand Strategy, and Elites
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Eurasia, and Global Focus
16. International Coordination of Economic Policies in the Global Financial Crisis: Successes, Failures, and Consequences
- Author:
- Edwin M. Truman
- Publication Date:
- 07-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Abstract:
- This paper evaluates international efforts to diagnose the global financial crisis and decide on appropriate responses, the treatments that were agreed and adopted, and the successes and failures as the crisis unfolded. International coordination of economic policies eventually contributed importantly to containing the crisis, but the authorities failed to agree on a diagnosis and the consequent need for joint action until the case was obvious. The policy actions that were adopted were powerful and effective, but they may have undermined prospects for coordinated responses to future crises.
- Topic:
- International Affairs, Financial Crisis, Economic Policy, and Fiscal Policy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
17. Secrecy and the Study of International History: Missing Dimension in Turkish Foreign Policy
- Author:
- Egemen Bezci
- Publication Date:
- 07-2019
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
- Institution:
- Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
- Abstract:
- The study of international history largely depends on an exploitation of hitherto unexplored data. The sources of these data could vary from national archives to private papers to semi-structured interviews and so on. An examination of the historiography of Turkish Foreign Policy requires the employing of a rigorous methodology to unearth novel data to feed into current academic debates. Students of international history should be advised of possible logistic and methodological flaws and obstacles in the process. This article examines these logistical and methodological obstacles to conducting archival research for historiographical studies.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Intelligence, International Affairs, History, Secrecy, and Historiography
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Global Focus
18. oiip Podcast with Professor Cynthia Enloe (Clark University) & Professor Saskia Stachowitsch (oiip)
- Author:
- Cynthia Enloe and Saskia Stachowitsch
- Publication Date:
- 10-2019
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP)
- Abstract:
- Professor Cynthia Enloe (Department of International Development, Women’s and Gender Studies at the Clark University) is talking in this Podcast with Professor Saskia Stachowitsch (director of the oiip, University of Vienna) about militarization and patriarchy , the positions and roles of women in international politics and much more!
- Topic:
- Gender Issues, Politics, International Affairs, Women, Militarization, and Patriarchy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
19. Pushing Back on Iran in Syria (Part 1): Beyond the ‘Boots’
- Author:
- Dana Stroul and Hanin Ghaddar
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- Apart from its military intervention, Tehran has pursued a wide range of economic and social tactics for increasing its sway in Syria, but Washington can still push back with targeted assistance, innovative sanctions, and strategic messaging. This PolicyWatch is the first in a two-part series on how to counter Iran’s expanding activities in Syria amid talk of U.S. military withdrawal. Part 2 will discuss the array of Iranian-backed armed groups currently operating there
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Military Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
20. Trump Departs Syria: An Israeli Perspective
- Author:
- Michael Herzog
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- Jerusalem seeks to mitigate the potential risks of the president’s decision by shaping its implementation and obtaining U.S. security guarantees, though long-term concerns still loom. Israeli officials have been careful not to publicly criticize President Trump’s recent announcement that all U.S. military forces will be pulled out of Syria. Below the surface, however, they have exuded dissatisfaction, concern, and a desire to make the best out of the situation. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s initial public response was lukewarm, stating that Israel will continue to take care of its security and “will not abide Iranian entrenchment in Syria.” He followed those remarks with hectic bilateral discussions on the matter, holding a phone call with President Trump, meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of a gathering in Brazil, and hosting National Security Advisor John Bolton in Jerusalem. These discussions elicited U.S. public assurances about Israel’s security and, so it appears, opened opportunities to affect the manner in which Trump’s decision is implemented.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
21. Western Balkans in the loop: Reshaping regional cooperation in times of uncertainty
- Author:
- Gentiola Madhi
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Europeum Institute for European Policy
- Abstract:
- Gentiola Madhi authored, within the Think Visegrad Non-V4 Fellowship programme, an analysis on the state of the affairs of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
22. Visegrad in the Western Balkans: Losing ground?
- Author:
- Jana Juzová
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Europeum Institute for European Policy
- Abstract:
- The Visegrad countries have since their own accession to the EU been one of the most active European actors advocating for further EU enlargement towards South- Eastern Europe. On the joint Visegrad-level as well as in their own foreign policies, the Western Balkans have a special position; the V4 countries provided them support on their path of European integration with transfer of know-how based on the V4’s own successful experience with economic and political transformation, regional cooperation and Euro-Atlantic integration. However, the Visegrad approach towards the Western Balkans is now being undermined and is losing its legitimacy due to several factors outlined in this paper. In spite of the positive impact of the Visegrad policy towards Western Balkans1, recent trends, such as worsening state of democracy in Hungary, Hungarian PM Orbán’s connections to autocratic leaders in the region (recently granting the asylum to former Macedonian PM Gruevski who escaped to Hungary from a jail sentence at home) are weakening not only Visegrad’s legitimacy as advocate for transformation of the region and its integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures, but also the normative power of the EU. Other V4 countries’ indifference towards this trend coupled with Poland’s new involvement in the Berlin Process framework, another EU member states’ initiative focused on the Western Balkans, only contribute to raising doubts about the commitment and legitimacy of Visegrad’s Western Balkan policy.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
23. Majority of Americans Oppose Expanding US-Mexico Wall
- Author:
- Craig Kafura
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Chicago Council on Global Affairs
- Abstract:
- The federal government remains in a partial shutdown, the longest in US history, as President Trump and Democrats in Congress are deadlocked over funding for expanding the border wall with Mexico. A just-completed Chicago Council Survey shows that both sides have the backing of their public constituencies, but the President’s insistence on this topic has not boosted support for the expansion among the general public. Overall more Americans now oppose expanding the US-Mexico border wall since last asked in 2016.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
24. South Koreans see Improved Security, Confident in US Security Guarantee
- Author:
- Dina Smeltz
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Chicago Council on Global Affairs
- Abstract:
- Over the past 12 months, there have been more discussions between South Korean, US, and North Korean officials about Pyongyang’s potential denuclearization than at any time since the Six-Party Talks in 2006 and 2007. Exactly where those discussions are headed is unclear. But in South Korea, the public generally sees an improvement in the South Korean security situation according to a just-completed Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey. As a result, support for South Korea developing its own nuclear weapon appears to have waned, though a slight majority remains in favor. Despite what seems to be a slight sense of relief, the South Korean public is skeptical that either Moon or Trump can convince Kim Jong Un to fully denuclearize
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
25. Energy Geopolitics in 2019
- Author:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Abstract:
- The extraordinary criticism that Saudi Arabia is under holds the potential for the US Congress enacting legislation against OPEC. Anti-trust legislation would have turbulent impact on the global energy market in that such pressure could lead members withdrawing from OPEC.
- Topic:
- Energy Policy, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
26. Global Compact for Migration: Security Constraints versus Humanitarian Morality in the Case of Morocco
- Author:
- Anna Jacobs
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Abstract:
- Morocco’s migration policy reflects of the interconnectedness of foreign policy priorities, desired reform and the reality of domestic politics. Morocco has positioned itself as a counterterrorism and migration ally for Europe; while leaning toward the African Union, and African markets.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Migration, International Affairs, and Global Security
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
27. The Silk Road and the Gulf: A New Frontier for the RMB
- Author:
- Michael B Greenwald
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Many view the Belt and Road Initiative as the most geoeconomically significant infrastructure project since the Marshall Plan. Promising alternative trade routes, abundant capital flows, and advanced infrastructure to the developing world, the program has scaled significantly since its inception in 2013.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
28. In the Gulf, China Plays to Win but US has Upper Hand
- Author:
- Michael B Greenwald
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Saudi Vision 2030 — Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s bid to diversify his nation’s oil-dependent economy — is one of the most consequential development plans in modern history. So it was no surprise to see MbS, as he is known, grinning with Chinese leaders during his Asian investment trip last month. As Chinese officials raved about the “enormous potential” of the Saudi economy, Saudi officials praised the compatibility of Chinese and Saudi cultures, and MbS even defended China’s maltreatment of Muslim Uighurs
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
29. 3 Reasons Why the Fed Wants to Keep Raising Interest Rates
- Author:
- Martin S. Feldstein
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to increase the short-term interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, taking it from 2.25% to 2.5%. This was the fourth increase in 12 months, a sequence that had been projected a year ago, and the FOMC members also indicated that there would be two more quarter-point increases in 2019. The announcement soon met with widespread disapproval.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Financial Markets
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
30. An Implementation Guide for National Human Rights Institutions
- Author:
- The Carter Center
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- The Carter Center
- Abstract:
- The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets peace, justice and strong institutions as goals for the international community to work toward, along with participatory decision-making at all levels and equal representation and participation of women in public affairs (Goals 5.5 and 16.7).1 The Human Rights Council stressed “the critical importance of equal and effective participation in political and public affairs for democracy, the rule of law, social inclusion, economic development and advancing gender equality, and for the realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.” 2 As part of their broad mandate to protect and promote human rights, national human rights institutions (NHRIs) have a key role to play in protecting and promoting the right to participate in public affairs.
- Topic:
- Human Rights and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
31. A Guide to Election Observer Policies in the United States
- Author:
- The Carter Center
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- The Carter Center
- Abstract:
- Election observation is the process by which parties, candidates, citizen groups or independent organizations deploy observers to witness the electoral process. Different types of observers have very different goals for watching an election. While observers from political parties seek to ensure that election administration does not disadvantage their campaigns, nonpartisan observers focus on checking compliance with election administration regulations. Credible nonpartisan observers are interested in promoting integrity, transparency, and efficiency in the electoral process and have no stake in the political outcome.During contentious or highly competitive elections, impartial observation can provide an important avenue for reliable feedback about which aspects of an election went well and what parts could improve
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Democracy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
32. UN Reforms—A Major Step Forward January 1, but Some Challenges Still to Overcome
- Author:
- Sarah Cliffe
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres was appointed in 2016 on an explicit reform platform. In 2017, we published commentaries on his reform proposals. Now that those reforms that have been approved are moving into implementation, we publish this simple guide to what has been achieved and the potential potholes still ahead.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
33. Innovative Finance to Sustain Peace: Mapping Ideas
- Author:
- Riva Kantowitz
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- This article, continuing CIC's work of exploring innovative finance for sustaining peace, examines important related conversations in the humanitarian and peacebuilding sectors, and efforts and tools in finance that could be utilized for sustaining peace. It also examines potential gamechangers such as blockchain and artificial intelligence—technologies and methods that have the potential to radically shift the way in which these tools are employed.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
34. Pushing the boundaries: How to create more effective migration cooperation across the Mediterranean
- Author:
- Tasnim Abderrahim
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
- Abstract:
- In 2018 Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia roundly rejected EU plans for ‘regional disembarkation platforms’ out of concern: around the cost of hosting migrants on their own soil; for public opinion; and to remind Europe of their own sovereignty. North African governments further point out that they too have migration issues to deal with, including growing pressure on their borders, integration of newcomers, and domestic discontent about migration. While the EU’s concerns about irregular migration are legitimate, the proposal for disembarkation platforms was likely a misstep, as it only fuelled tension in the relationship with its southern neighbours. That said, Europe and North Africa already have a long and mature relationship when it comes to cooperating on migration matters. The 2018 proposal for disembarkation platforms may now be a non-starter. But opportunities remain for the EU to deepen its partnership working with Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia on border control and – although this area is more contested – on migrant returns.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
35. Redefining U.S. national security: Interlinkages with American society and foreign policy
- Author:
- Brookings Institute
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- On April 5, Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS) and the Foreign Policy program at The Brookings Institution hosted a discussion on the implications of this complex political environment in which domestic and foreign policy decisions influence each other.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
36. Strength In Numbers
- Author:
- Wendy Cutler
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- Tensions in U.S.-China economic and trade relations have steadily increased over the past year, leading to the imposition of tariffs and counter-tariffs impacting nearly USD $400 billion in two-way trade. At the time of writing, a negotiated solution has yet to materialize, but the two sides have continued to make progress, with a deal seemingly imminent. At the heart of the conflict are challenges posed by China’s state-led economic model, including excessive and under-reported industrial subsidies and other financial assistance, operation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), opaque regulatory measures that advantage domestic producers, forced technology transfer, and centrally directed strategic guidance
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
37. The Avoidable War: Reflections on U.S.-China Relations and the End of Strategic Engagement
- Author:
- Kevin Rudd
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- 2018 REPRESENTED A FUNDAMENTAL STRATEGIC TURNING POINT in the 40-year history of U.S.-China relations. This is not just an American view; it is also the Chinese view. Just as it is my own analytical view based on 40 years of observation of this relationship, going back to the time when I was an undergraduate student at the Australian National University. The nature of this change is that the United States, after 40 years of strategic engagement with China following China’s decision under Deng Xiaoping to pursue a domestic policy shift toward economic reform and opening, has concluded that China is no longer a trustworthy strategic partner. The analytical underpinnings of the period of engagement were that China, having embarked upon a series of economic, social, and some political reforms, was incrementally integrating itself into the American-led international rules-based order. This, in turn, was based on China’s decision in 1978 to abandon its policy of support for communist revolutionary movements around the world. This change followed the abandonment of a decade-plus of political radicalism pursued by Mao during the Cultural Revolution. And it followed, perhaps most significantly, China’s decision to embrace one series after another of market-based economic reforms, beginning with the introduction of price-based incentives in agriculture, then light manufacturing, then the services industry before extending across much of the rest of the Chinese economy. On top of this, the normalization of political relations between the United States and China, from Richard Nixon’s visit in 1972 to formal diplomatic recognition under Jimmy Carter in 1979, led to a sustained period of fundamental strategic realignment between China and the United States against a common strategic adversary in the form of the Soviet Union
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
38. Understanding China’s Rise Under Xi Jinping
- Author:
- Kevin Rudd
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- NEXT WEEK MARKS THE 216TH ANNIVERSARY of the founding of the West Point Military Academy. Its founding came less than 20 years after the defeat of the British at Yorktown in 1781. It followed the decision by President Thomas Jefferson to establish the United States Military Academy just after his inauguration in 1801. Indeed, the United States Continental army first occupied this place on January 27, 1778, two years into the Revolutionary War, when things were not proceeding all that well against the British in that great conflagration. So you have been here at West Point since virtually the first birth-pangs of this great Republic
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
39. Xi Jinping, China, and the Global Order: The Significance of China’s 2018 Central Foreign Policy Work Conference
- Author:
- Asia Society Policy Institute
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- ON JUNE 22–23 2018, THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY concluded its Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs, the second since Xi Jinping became General Secretary of the Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission in November 2012. The last one was held in November 2014. These are not everyday affairs in the Party’s deliberations on the great questions of China’s unfolding global engagement.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
40. NATO at Seventy: Filling NATO’s Critical Defense-Capability Gaps
- Author:
- Wolfgang Schroeder
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- As a young, single-seat fighter pilot based in Germany in the Royal Air Force of the early 1980s, I enjoyed a degree of certainty about my role in life. The world was, to all intents and purposes, a bi-polar place. We knew exactly from where our threat emanated and, indeed, had comprehensive standing plans for dealing with it. In the event of an attack by the Warsaw Pact on NATO’s eastern flank, we had pre-designated areas in which we would interdict any enemy military force heading westwards. We had pre-planned missions for systematically taking down all elements of Soviet air power — be it through suppression of enemy air defense sensors and surfaceto-air systems or denial of his airfields’ operating surfaces. In the event that the conflict escalated too rapidly, or went too far, we even had plans to resort to the ultimate sanction of the pre-planned and graduated employment of tactical nuclear weapons. Our plans, and our skills, were tested on a frequent and regular basis. It was no rare experience to be woken by a siren in the middle of the night to be called to duty. Our response time was measured, as was the ability to demonstrate our preparedness to brief our wartime missions, arm our aircraft, and prove our abilities to be airborne within the allocated time period. The results of these exercises—known as NATO Tactical Evaluations (TacEvals)—were equally rigorous in the Land and Maritime domains. Their results were widely shared within Alliance circles. Achieving a “one” for a TacEval result was every commanding officer’s goal
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
41. Transatlantic Air Power and What to Do Now: Key to Deterrence, Key to Collective Defense
- Author:
- Frank Gorenc
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- 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 Affairs, Democracy, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
42. Dealing with the Offshore Economy
- Author:
- Alan Riley
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Given that offshore tax havens are largely located in small, independent states or self-governing territories, it could be assumed that they have little connection to OECD states and major financial centers such as London and New York. This is not the case. The so-called tax havens are in fact part of a much larger network of financial and corporate services that depends on lawyers, accountants, and bankers located in major Western cities. Only one part of the havens’ business actually involves providing lower tax rates to individual foreign account holders
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Global Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
43. 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:
- Energy Policy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
44. How Can NATO Contribute to Regional Cooperation in the Field of Training and Education?
- Author:
- Marija Ignjatijevic
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Belgrade Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- NATO shares its expertise with partner countries in order to assist them with defence education and training reform through a set of mechanisms. By joining different NATO initiatives partner countries open up the opportunity to exchange insights and experience in areas of common interest, gain access to the advice and support of NATO experts, as well as to take part in various NATO events and activities. Partnership education and training mechanisms are predominantly designed as bilateral tools - focused on enhancing cooperation and interoperability between the Alliance and the partner.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation, Regional Cooperation, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
45. Democracy: The Keystone of our Society
- Author:
- You Young Kim
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- Hearing my grandfather state, "I'm forever grateful to Kim Il-sung," baffled me. His words of gratitude to the first supreme leader and the eternal president of North Korea did not match his heartbreaking tale of defecting to the South during the Korean War. Recalling his stories of hiding in the mountains and his relatives trapped in the isolated dictatorial communist state, I couldn't fathom being grateful for a man who pushed my grandfather to make such a difficult choice when he was only a few years older than I am now.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Democracy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
46. Implementing the National Defense Strategy Demands Operational Concepts for Defeating Chinese and Russian Aggression
- Author:
- Chris Dougherty
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) shifted the Department of Defense (DoD) away from a strategy focused on counterterrorism and deterring regional threats like Iran toward competing with, deterring, and, if necessary, defeating Chinese and Russian aggression. DoD is portraying the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2020, which is the first such request submitted since the release of the NDS, as a down payment on the long-term investments required to develop a future force that can execute this strategy. Given the price tag of $750 billion, Congress and the American people should, in the words of Ronald Reagan, trust DoD, but verify that this is money well spent on advancing the priorities of the NDS
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
47. New Voices in Grand Strategy
- Author:
- Richard Fontaine and et al
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- In June 2008, the Center for a New American Security published a compendium of essays to grapple with the central questions of American grand strategy.1 The volume compiled the views of leading senior strategists from across the political spectrum and from both academia and the policy community. Four years later, CNAS embarked on a similar venture, presenting the views of four more expert thinkers
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
48. Intelligence Oversight Priorities for the 116th Congress
- Author:
- Carrie Cordero
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- Congressional oversight is essential for providing accountability for the activities of the intelligence services.1 Effective oversight by the congressional intelligence committees – by an independent branch of government – is needed in order to monitor the adequacy of legal authorities, the lawfulness of activities carried out under those authorities, and the responsible application of public funds for intelligence activities. As elected representatives entrusted with providing an outside check on activities that are conducted out of the public eye, members of the committees serve a critical function in facilitating accountability, transparency, and confidence in intelligence activities conducted under law.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
49. The Influence of Commercial Space Capabilities on Deterrence
- Author:
- John Klein
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- Recent U.S. space policy initiatives underscore the far-reaching benefits of commercial space activities. The White House revived the National Space Council to foster closer coordination, cooperation, and exchange of technology and information among the civil, national security, and commercial space sectors.1 National Space Policy Directive 2 seeks to promote economic growth by streamlining U.S. regulations on the commercial use of space.2 While the defense community generally appreciates the value of services and capabilities derived from the commercial space sector—including space launch, Earth observation, and satellite communications—it often overlooks one area of strategic importance: deterrence.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation, International Affairs, and Cybersecurity
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
50. Contested Spaces A Renewed Approach to Southeast Asia
- Author:
- Patrick M. Cronin
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- As the competition between the United States and China to shape the course of the 21st century intensifies, Southeast Asia has become a contested space. A region where geopolitical orientations remain fluid, Southeast Asia lies at the front line of Beijing’s expanding diplomatic influence, economic leverage, and military capability. At stake is whether countries across the region can retain their economic sovereignty and freedom of decision, and whether governance in the region will broadly trend toward greater freedom and openness, or the opposite.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
51. Understanding China's AI Strategy
- Author:
- Gregory Allen
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- n the second half of 2018, I traveled to China on four separate trips to attend major diplomatic, military, and private-sector conferences focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI). During these trips, I participated in a series of meetings with high-ranking Chinese officials in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leaders of China’s military AI research organizations, government think tank experts, and corporate executives at Chinese AI companies. From these discussions – as well as my ongoing work analyzing China’s AI industry, policies, reports, and programs – I have arrived at a number of key judgments about Chinese leadership’s views, strategies, and prospects for AI as it applies to China’s economy and national security. Of course, China’s leadership in this area is a large population with diversity in its views, and any effort to generalize is inherently presumptuous and essentially guaranteed to oversimplify. However, the distance is large between prevailing views in American commentary on China’s AI efforts and what I have come to believe are the facts. I hope by stating my takeaways directly, this report will advance the assessment of this issue and be of benefit to the wider U.S. policymaking community.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
52. Financial Networks of Mass Destruction
- Author:
- Elizabeth Rosenberg and Neil Bhatiya
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- The international community has long prioritized reducing the risk of weapons of mass destruction proliferation, whether from state actors such as North Korea and Iran, or from non-state actors, particularly criminals and transnational terrorist networks. Despite this concern, however, there remains a significant blind spot: the efforts to prevent the financing of WMD proliferation are only in their infancy. The legal framework to prevent the financing of proliferation is weak, and implementation across the world is spotty. These weaknesses derive from one overwhelming fact: The international community has not prioritized financial controls to fight proliferation. Very few countries have demonstrated the political will to put further emphasis on this threat to international peace and security.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
53. Rethinking Requirements and Risk in the New Space Age
- Author:
- John Klein
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- Recent advancements in the commercial space launch and small satellite sectors are revolutionizing how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will access and use space. Increasingly, many within the national security space community view commercial space capabilities as essential for maintaining U.S. competitive advantage and protecting national security interests in space.1 However, DoD is still failing to take full advantage of the benefits from the commercial space sector. This shortfall is due to fundamental differences between defense and commercial innovation cycles, as well as differing perspectives on requirements and risk
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
54. Preparing for Climate Intervention Decision Making in the Global South: A Role for Canada and India
- Author:
- Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
- Abstract:
- The use of climate intervention technologies has not taken into sufficient account the social dimensions of climate intervention research, which includes citizen participation and pooling of knowledge resources. To fill this lacuna, Canada and India can examine what participation in climate intervention research means in the context of an African country to be able to evolve a more international view; urge both countries to conduct national policy discussions on climate intervention research; and increase public awareness of climate intervention technologies
- Topic:
- Climate Change and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
55. Making Terrestrial Geoengineering Technologies Viable: An Opportunity for India-Canada Climate Leadership
- Author:
- Chaitanya Giri
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
- Abstract:
- The UN’s Paris Agreement is best known as the commitment by nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow the rise in global temperatures. But less-heralded provisions of the pact go further than that. In an acknowledgment that emissions-reduction alone will not resolve the unfolding climate crisis, a call has been made for the development of carbon sinks to remove gases already in the atmosphere. These less-heralded greenhouse gas removal technologies are essential to achieving the pact’s goal of keeping the global average surface temperature from rising more than the 1.5 degrees Celsius. These steps are also a key to ensuring that India and Canada meet their ambitious climate-action goals without suffering severe socio-economic and climatic harm.
- Topic:
- Climate Change and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
56. Partnering for Prosperity: India-Canada Collaboration to Curb Digital Black Markets
- Author:
- Sameer Patil
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
- Abstract:
- India and Canada face multiple common cyber security challenges. Not the least of these are digital black markets, where contraband and illegal services are bought and sold. These markets have abetted drug smuggling, facilitated cyber crimes and contributed to terrorist activities. Despite frequent security crackdowns, these marketplaces have proved to be resilient. This paper reviews the measures both India and Canada have taken to disrupt digital black markets and examines opportunities to expand current security cooperation strategies.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Digital Economy
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
57. Opportunities for Cooperative Cyber Security
- Author:
- Aaron Shull
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
- Abstract:
- While India and Canada are each individually taking steps to enhance their cyber security capacity, increased collaboration between the two countries in the realm of cyber security would increase systemic trust while creating opportunities to promote the nations’ strategic and economic interests. There are several similarities in the cyber security threats that both countries face, including being the subjects of attacks with suspected Chinese origins, and mutual concerns over terrorism and election manipulation
- Topic:
- International Security and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
58. UNCLOS 1982, The Mediterranean area and EU’s Southern Rim
- Author:
- ELIAMEP
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, December. 10, 1982, (“UNCLOS”) lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
59. Daesh: The archetype of hybrid terrorist organizations
- Author:
- Triandafyllos KARATRANTOS
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- The rise and evolution of Daesh (al-Dawlah al-Islamīyah fī l-ʻIrāq wa-sh-Shām) marked a new and very interesting debate about the labeling of violent groups that are not traditional terrorist organizations and they are also acting with different roles and using alternate tactics and modus operandi, such as insurgency, within civil and regional conflicts. Furthermore, the establishment of the so called “Caliphate” includes a new parameter in the scientific debate, the quasi state dimension. Daesh is a modern archetype of this vivid scientific debate, but the difficulties in labeling, especially in cases were terrorist groups are taking part in civil conflicts, is not new. Labeling is not only a matter of “name and blame”, is important in order to design an effective and holistic counter terrorism strategy. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the different approaches about labeling nontraditional terrorist groups and to present the terrorist activity of Daesh.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
60. Working Paper: The Multi-Domain Battle as an emerging Operational philosophy in the 21st century. A review of the role of Commander. The Cross-Domain standpoint
- Author:
- Nikolaos PAOUNIS
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- War is a socio-historic phenomenon, that is constantly developing and changes form rapidly, due to the immense development of military technology (accomplishments in industrial defense), which goes along with military inventiveness. In parallel, a need arises to shift the rules of war conduct (e.g. law in military conflicts), that is to say attempts have been made to normalize situations, which from the outset were unregulated. Man is a subject of war, who possesses consistent physical and intellectual features, is integrated in a relatively steady geographical and social environment and therefore some common characteristics are observed in the perception of war.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
61. Working Paper: The ‘Two and a half wars’ theory and the Mavi Vatan naval exercise: Strategic Culture and the new phase of Turkish strategy
- Author:
- ELIAMEP
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- Every time that Turkey acts in new ways abroad, various terms re-emerge in public discourse such as Pax Ottomana, Pax Turkana, Neo-Ottomanism, Pan-Turkism, Pan-Islamism and, recently, the notion of a “Blue Homeland”. But what is the heart of the matter? As many have already noted, the “Blue Homeland” doctrine is not new in Turkish strategic thought. In the midst of the Turkish naval drills, many remembered the Turkish doctrine of two and a half wars and associated it with the drills. This paper, by Zenonas Tziarras, looks at the reasons why this perception is somewhat simplistic as the Turkish approach has gone way beyond the narrow doctrine of two and a half wars and expanded towards other directions.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
62. Working Paper on the Chinese Investments in Gwadar and Piraeus
- Author:
- George Tzogopoulos
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- Working Paper by Dr. George N. Tzogopoulos, Director of EU-China Programs at the Center International de Formation Européenne (CIFE), Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA), Fellow and Lecturer at the Democritus University of Thrace, on the importance of the Chinese investments in Gwadar and Piraeus. Rolling out the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) China is largely investing in foreign countries’ ports that can function as transshipment hubs. Trade is boosted and new economic corridors are being opened. In that regard, the ports of Gwadar in Pakistan and Piraeus in Greece offer relatively similar opportunities for Chinese state-owned enterprises. A comparison of Chinese investments in the two ports demonstrate that similarities do exist indeed. However, differences are also evident and are principally linked to the dissimilar scope and scale of the investments in Gwadar and Piraeus, the national context of Pakistan and Greece respectively as well as the different type of their relations to China. On the whole, the Belt and Road Initiative can arguably foster closer economic collaboration between Islamabad and Athens and subsequently between Islamabad and Brussels in trade and foreign direct investments in a period during which Brussels has already launched the EU-Asia connectivity strategy and seeks to obtain tangible results.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
63. Working paper on the impact of the monetary policy of the ECB on credit provision of European economies through the mortgage credit channel
- Author:
- Vangelis ARVANITIS
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- The monetary authority, which in the case of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is the European Central Bank (ECB), has among other things, the obligation to determine the monetary policy, aiming to influence basic parameters of the economy like the level of prices. In this paper the author tries to identify the impact of the monetary policy of the ECB on credit provision of European economies through the mortgage credit channel, including during the period of the crisis. More specifically, we employ data for the loans of commercial banks to households for housing purposes after a contractionary monetary policy by the monetary authority (increase of the main interest rate). Given that the mortgage channel has not been adequately studied during the crisis period for EU member states, this paper will contribute towards covering this gap in the literature.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
64. Frontex & NATO: A New Partnership in the Making
- Author:
- Antonia-Maria SARANTAKI
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- A new working paper by ELIAMEP explores the operational cooperation between Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard agency, and NATO. Since 2016, these two disparate actors have started to cooperate in the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea after NATO’s involvement in countering irregular migration. The working paper, based on data collected through semi-structured interviews with Frontex and NATO staff as well as document review and analysis, seeks to analyse the cooperation of these two institutions by assessing their mandate, the reasons for their establishment, their operations and their organisational enhancements. It focuses on their role in addressing a non-traditional security challenge, namely irregular migration, which provided the basis for joining efforts and initiating their operational cooperation. The latter raises serious concerns about the future of both institutions and the adopted EU strategy to cope with the issue of migration. All these define a new EU-NATO security partnership that has the potential to reshape the content of the transatlantic cooperation.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
65. Working Paper on Information Centric War and Cyber-security
- Author:
- Nikolaos PAOUNIS
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- Following the thematic publications on the evolution of the war, after the so-called “Revolution in Military Affairs”, a new policy paper published by ELIAMEP analyses the Information Centric War and Cyber-security. Cyberattack is a new form of warfare, while its development is parallel to that of technological progress and its subsequent sociopolitical effects on humankind. Furthermore, cyberattacks raise once again issues of Ethics and whether provisions of international law should be applied. Estonia is the first victim of a massive cyberattacks, while, even though Turkey considers the issue at hand important, it makes use of the abovementioned form of warfare.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
66. ELIAMEP’s policy paper on military service and defence
- Author:
- Thanos Dokos
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
- Abstract:
- ELIAMEP published a new policy paper by defence analyst Manos Iliadis and Director General of ELIAMEP Dr. Thanos Dokos on “Military Service and Defence”.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
67. Road warriors: Foreign fighters in the armies of jihad
- Author:
- Brookings Institute
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- On May 10, Brookings hosted the launch event for Senior Fellow Dan Byman's latest book, “Road Warriors: Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad,” with discussion moderated by Peter Bergen, acclaimed journalist and vice president for Global Studies & Fellows at New America.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
68. Una estrategia de Seguridad Pública para proteger a la ciudadanía
- Author:
- COMEXI
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI)
- Abstract:
- El Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales, COMEXI, es una Asociación Civil sin fines de lucro dedicada al estudio, análisis y diálogo sobre las relaciones internacionales. Su objetivo es generar propuestas que contribuyan a la toma de decisiones y que incidan—de manera estratégica— en la definición e implementación de las políticas públicas que afectan a México. También busca contribuir efectivamente en el posicionamiento e impacto de México en el mundo. La riqueza de COMEXI radica en el talento de su membresía, la cual está integrada por más de 600 asociados expertos en diferentes sectores y disciplinas (académicos, empresarios, funcionarios públicos, diplomáticos y líderes de opinión). También contamos con la participación de embajadas, organismos internacionales, y centros de investigación dedicados al estudio de la vida política, social, y económica del país
- Topic:
- International Organization and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
69. Massive and Misunderstood: Data-Driven Insights into National Oil Companies
- Author:
- David Mihalyi and Patrick Heller
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- National oil companies (NOCs) produce the majority of the world’s oil and gas, pumping out an estimated 85 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. Within their home countries, NOCs influence the degree to which billions of people benefit (or suffer) from their countries’ hydrocarbon assets. Many of these companies manage multi-billion-dollar portfolios of public assets, execute complex projects across their territories and at sea, employ citizens in the tens or hundreds of thousands, and perform a range of public services from providing energy to building infrastructure. Despite their importance, NOCs are poorly understood thanks to weak and uneven reporting, sparse research, and an absence of publicly available comparative data.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
70. Resource Governance Index: From Legal Reform to Implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Author:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Natural Resource Governance Institute
- Abstract:
- This report explores common resource governance successes and challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, taking advantage of the rich dataset and wealth of evidence documentation provided by the Resource Governance Index. While the authors detect common trends across the region, there is also great diversity between and within countries. It also documents examples of good practices from which officials in other countries can learn. The authors conclude with the suggestion that policymakers, parliamentarians, civil society, media and regional institutions focus more on narrowing the implementation gap, which will help to restore trust between government, communities and investors and thus strengthen sustainable management of natural resources. Creating space for public debate, strengthening capacity of public institutions and oversight actors, addressing lack of political will and learning from past legal reforms are possible solutions to address the implementation gap.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
71. SETA Security Radar | Turkey’s Security Landscape in 2019
- Author:
- SETA
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Abstract:
- In 2018, Turkey encountered a complex security environment and endured a wide range of challenging situations ranging from cross-border counterterrorism operations to multidimensional conflicts involving various influential state actors. With this in mind, the SETA Security team compiled SETA Security Radar: Turkey’s Security Landscape in 2019 in line with the critical developments that took place in 2018. This work aims to provide a timely and accessible assessment of the challenges awaiting Turkey in 2019. Hence, SETA Security Radar: Turkey’s Security Landscape in 2019 pertains to the following topics: Turkey’s role in Syria, Turkey’s counterterrorism strategy, Turkey’s military activism, the Turkish defense agenda, Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean, and Turkey’s bilateral relations with the United States and Russia. By creating awareness among policymakers and interested researchers, SETA Security Radar: Turkey’s Security Landscape in 2019 intends to achieve a common understanding of the security prospects awaiting Turkey in 2019.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
72. Interfactional dynamics and the future of Idlib
- Author:
- Murat Yeşiltaş and Omar Özkızılcık
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Abstract:
- Since the planned wide-scale military operation by the Assad regime in July 2018 against the different military factions, Idlib has been the center of the Syrian conflict. On January 1, 2019, renewed clashes between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former Al-Nusra Front, and the Nureddin Zengi Movement brought Idlib again at the epicenter of the Syrian conflict. Now, HTS has become a dominant power in the region in terms of controlling territory, and has become capable of transforming Idlib. This paper aims to give a brief overview of the recent battle and the dynamics inside Idlib which led to the fighting between the Nureddin Zengi Movement and HTS. Furthermore, the dynamics which enabled HTS to win the battle will be analyzed. Based on the implications for the interfactional dynamics in Idlib, the Sochi agreement between Turkey and Russia has to be adjusted given that certain of its terms couldn’t be implemented on the ground. The paper also offers an array of possible scenarios of how Turkey and Russia might adjust the Sochi agreement in order to counter the violent extremist group in Idlib and prevent a humanitarian crisis
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
73. La Política Exterior de Estados Unidos Un atardecer desfigurado
- Author:
- Antonio Marquina
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- La Política Exterior de Estados Unidos Un atardecer desfigurado
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
74. La Estrategia Global de la Unión Europea. Asomándose al Precipicio
- Author:
- Antonio Marquina
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- La Estrategia Global de la Unión Europea. Asomándose al Precipicio
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
75. Estrategia de Seguridad Nacional 2013. Un pavimento deslizante
- Author:
- Antonio Marquina
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- Estrategia de Seguridad Nacional 2013. Un pavimento deslizante
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
76. La Unión Europea y el Magreb. Reestructurando un imaginario
- Author:
- Antonio Marquina
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- La Unión Europea y el Magreb. Reestructurando un imaginario
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
77. España en la Segunda Guerra Mundial
- Author:
- Antonio Marquina
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- España en la Segunda Guerra Mundial
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
78. Rusia en la Sociedad Internacional
- Author:
- Javier Morales
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- Rusia en la Sociedad Internacional
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
79. El camino hacia el Este
- Author:
- UNIDAD
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- El camino hacia el Este
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
80. Entrevista en IBERCAMPUS sobre el libro La política exterior de Estados Unidos
- Author:
- Antonio Marquina
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- Entrevista en IBERCAMPUS sobre el libro La política exterior de Estados Unidos
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
81. How Human Subjects Research Rules Mislead You and Your University, and What to Do About it 1
- Author:
- Gary King and Melissa Sands
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Universities require faculty and students planning research involving human subjects to pass formal certification tests and then submit research plans for prior approval. Those who diligently take the tests may better understand certain important legal requirements but, at the same time, are often misled into thinking they can apply these rules to their own work which, in fact, they are not permitted to do. They will also be missing many other legal requirements not mentioned in their training but which govern their behaviors. Finally, the training leaves them likely to completely misunderstand the essentially political situation they find themselves in. The resulting risks to their universities, collaborators, and careers may be catastrophic, in addition to contributing to the more common ordinary frustrations of researchers with the system. To avoid these problems, faculty and students conducting research about and for the public need to understand that they are public figures, to whom different rules apply, ones that political scientists have long studied. University administrators (and faculty in their part-time roles as administrators) need to reorient their perspectives as well. University research compliance bureaucracies have grown, in well-meaning but sometimes unproductive ways that are not required by federal laws or guidelines. We offer advice to faculty and students for how to deal with the system as it exists now, and suggestions for changes in university research compliance bureaucracies, that should benefit faculty, students, staff, university budgets, and our research subjects.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
82. Who will Save Jerusalem:The Dichotomy of Arab Politics in Trump's Era!
- Author:
- Ramzy Baroud
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Abstract:
- The Deal of the Century will allow Trump/Kushner, Netanyahu and bin Salman to merely buy time, each for his own domestic benefit. It is likely to split up an Arab camp that has served as the American vanguard.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
83. The Algerian Crisis: Origins and Prospects for a “Second Republic”
- Author:
- Yahia H. Zoubir
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Al Jazeera Center for Studies
- Abstract:
- Hirak has been the relegation of the Islamists because the protesters showed no interest in an Islamist ideology. They are opposed to foreign interference and have warned the West, particularly the former colonial power France, from interfering in their movement.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
84. 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
85. 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
86. 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
87. 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
88. 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
89. 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
90. 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
91. 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
92. The post-caliphate Salafi-jihadi environment
- Author:
- Isaac Kfir
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
- Abstract:
- In 2019, the global Salafi-jihadi architecture is very different from the one that emerged in September 2001, when transnational terrorism burst on to the international scene, or July 2014, when ISIL controlled more than 34,000 square miles in Syria and Iraq and thousands of young men and women were flocking to be part of its ‘caliphate’.
- Topic:
- Terrorism, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
93. 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
94. 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
95. Redefining Europe’s economic sovereignty
- Author:
- Mark Leonard
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Bruegel
- Abstract:
- This Policy Contribution delves into the position of the EU in the current global order. China and the United States increasingly trying to gain geopolitical advantage using their economic might. The authors examine the specific problems that China and the US pose for European economic sovereignty, and consider how the EU and its member states can better protect European economic sovereignty
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
96. Effectiveness of cohesion policy: learning from the project characteristics that produce the best results
- Author:
- Zsolt Darvas
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Bruegel
- Abstract:
- This study by Zsolt Darvas, Antoine Mathieu Collin, Jan Mazza, and Catarina Midões analyses the characteristics of cohesion policy projects that can contribute to successful outcomes. Their analysis is based on a literature survey, an econometric analysis and interviews with stakeholders. About two dozen project characteristics are considered, and their association with economic growth is studied using a novel methodology. Based on the findings, the study concludes with recommendations for cohesion policy reform
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
97. How to improve European Union cohesion policy for the next decade
- Author:
- Zsolt Darvas
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Bruegel
- Abstract:
- This policy contribution investigates the performance of the design, implementation and effectiveness of cohesion policy, the most evaluated EU tool for promoting economic convergence. By analysing the effects of cohesion policy on economic growth through reviewing literature, conducting empirical research by comparing regions, as well as considering attitudes and expectations collected through interviewing stakeholders, the authors provide reform recommendations.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
98. Estimating the cost of capital for wind energy investments in Turkey
- Author:
- Lynn Fredriksson
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Bruegel
- Abstract:
- Wind power represents a key component of Turkey’s energy strategy. Increased investment will be required to meet Turkey’s wind power target and, as such, there is a need to understand the viability of wind power projects there. The cost of capital is a crucial element in wind power investment decisions owing to the high capital intensity of wind power plants. A reduction in the cost of capital through support policies can lower overall project costs and increase investment
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
99. 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
100. 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
- « Previous
- Next »
- 1
- 2
- 3