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52. To Defeat Terrorism, Use 'People Power'
- Author:
- Maria J. Stephan and Leanne Erdberg
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- As governments and communities seek the right combination of methods to halt terrorism, one that we too often miss is nonviolent resistance. It’s not that we haven’t seen the power of protest movements that use mass marches, sit-ins, boycotts and other forceful but nonviolent tactics. To the contrary, people worldwide have been moved by watching such movements sweep aside the walls of apartheid, the tanks of dictators or the impunity of kleptocracies. But governments and civil society alike have failed to connect the dots—to promote nonviolent action that can help communities address grievances while absorbing the youth alienation upon which terrorist movements feed.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
53. USIP’s Work on Violent Extremism
- Author:
- USIP
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Over the past decade, transnational and deadly violent extremist movements—such as ISIS, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and al-Shabab—have risen out of instability and conflicts and repeatedly inflamed and perpetuated hostilities. These movements recruit followers and destabilize regions by harnessing agendas and exploiting grievances such as social marginalization, political exclusion, state repression, and lack of access to justice and resources.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
54. Resisting TTIP Behind the Boarder Talks: The Case of Genetically Modified Organisms
- Author:
- Vinod K. Aggarwal
- Publication Date:
- 11-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Berkeley APEC Study Center
- Abstract:
- During negotiations of mega-regional trade agreements, state representatives have the incentive to demand that other parties align with their entrenched regulatory practices. Indeed, a country’s exporters will derive extensive benefits if negotiating partners fulfill these demands. Strictly pursuing self-interest, however, often leads to stalemate. When the United States (US) and European Union (EU) entered into negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), they sought to more effectively align transatlantic regulation and associated practices. Although extant literature indicates that relatively similar, rich, and developed countries should easily conclude agreements due to shared interests, negotiations between the US and EU in the regulatory area of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) deteriorated. By 2016, this matter effectively fell off the TTIP negotiating agenda.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
55. Turkey’s Economic Problems before the Elections
- Author:
- Karol Wasilewski
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- In May, the Turkish lira reached a record low to the U.S. dollar. Turkey’s growing economic problems stem from Turkish politicians’ preference for political goals over economic ones. For now, the authorities have begun to undertake actions to regain investors’ trust, but in the longer term, Turkey’s economy needs to undergo deep and probably unpopular structural reform. The country’s economic problems may significantly influence the parliamentary and presidential elections set for 24 June.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
56. The Varna Quadrilateral: A New Format for Regional Cooperation
- Author:
- Jakub Pieńkowski and Tomasz Żornaczuk
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Initiated at the end of 2017, the Varna Quadrilateral is a forum for cooperation between Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Romania. It is intended to improve coordination of cross-border infrastructure and energy investments between the largest countries in southeastern Europe. Meetings to date also show that collaboration can have clear political elements. However, a half year after the inauguration of the new initiative, its future is in doubt due to the great differences between its members.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
57. The Razumkov Center Newsletter
- Author:
- Razumkov Center
- Publication Date:
- 04-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Razumkov Centre
- Abstract:
- Judging from President’s latest statements on his readiness to capture Ukraine’s stable progress towards EU and NATO membership in the Preamble to the Constitution, we are to expect yet another session of “constitutional vivisection”. Moreover, it is very likely that the parliament and the president will finalise the long-term story of bidding farewell to the constitutional guarantees of parliamentary immunity. Also, one cannot write off a possible attempt to implement the currently semi-fictional idea of transitioning to a parliamentary form of government, again – by introducing corresponding amendments to the Constitution.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
58. The Razumkov Center Newsletter
- Author:
- Razumkov Center
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Razumkov Centre
- Abstract:
- In February of this year, Stanislav Shevchuk was elected the new Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) at one of its sessions. Position of CCU Chairman has been vacant since 20 March 2017. This is when Yurii Baulin’s term has run out. On several occasions, elections of a new chairman were disrupted. In December 2017, they did not take place due to the lack of candidates. The responsibility of CCU Chairman, besides swearing in the newly elected president, is to organise the regular work of the Constitutional Court. We also expect the pressure on the new chairman to mount after the appointment of two new CCU judges on the president’s quota and the election of two more judges on the Verkhovna Rada’s quota.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
59. The Razumkov Center Newsletter
- Author:
- Razumkov Center
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Razumkov Centre
- Abstract:
- On 30 January 2018, in Kyiv, Razumkov Centre together with the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting and CEDOS think tank presented the annual 2017 global top think tanks rating (2017 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report). This report is issued since 2008 by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania (USA).
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
60. Ituri Becomes Congo’s Latest Flashpoint
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- The DRC’s ongoing political crisis is straining local peace agreements forged after the Second Congo War, threatening wider instability.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Democratic Republic of Congo
61. Lost Opportunity in Zimbabwe
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- The violence in the aftermath of Zimbabwe’s elections and ongoing disputes over their credibility undercut the goal of establishing legitimacy for the post-Mugabe government.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Zimbabwe
62. Africa Lags in Protections against Human Trafficking
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Trafficking in persons has become a multibillion dollar business in Africa that African governments have been slow to address.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Sex Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- Africa
63. Presidential Elections in Mali: A Step toward Stabilizing a Weak State
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Mali faces multiple security challenges that demand both strengthened legitimacy and state capacity to address. Building on credible elections, stabilization will also require reconciliation and extending the presence of the state.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Mali
64. After Burundi’s Referendum, a Drive to Dismantle the Arusha Accords
- Author:
- Paul Nantulya
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Sweeping changes to Burundi's constitution have consolidated power in the presidency, dismantled much of the Arusha Accords, and heightened the risk of greater violence and instability.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Burundi
65. YALI Fellows Participate in Africa Center Security Simulation Exercise
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Twenty-five YALI Mandela Washington Fellows participated in a one-day simulation exercise focused on Africa’s security concerns.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Africa
66. Q&A: Somalia Charts Security Transition
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Somalia’s National Security Advisor Abdisaid Ali talks about political will, security reforms in Somalia’s Transition Plan, and the commitment to domestic and international coalition building to sustain the country’s progress.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Africa
67. Reform and Renewal in Zimbabwe or More of the Same?
- Author:
- Paul Nantulya
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Multiple possible scenarios could emerge from Zimbabwe’s July 30 polls—the country’s first without Robert Mugabe’s name on the ballot. For now, the military appears intent on leveraging its interests.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Zimbabwe
68. World Cup Dreams Shape Africa’s National Narratives
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Since Egypt’s appearance in the inaugural 1930 World Cup, African countries’ performance in the tournament has been a source of pride and national identity.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Africa
69. Overcoming the Democratisation Deficit in the Western Balkans: A Road to (No)Where?
- Author:
- Vedran Dzihic
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP)
- Abstract:
- The internal weaknesses of the process of democratisation in the Western Balkans ensue from reinforcing a system where (ethno)politics and (ethno)political entre-preneurs use all available strategies to deprive citizens of any political agency, thus working towards obedient democracies while keeping real political power within closed circles. The conscious deepening of differences, maintaining negative tensions and instrumentalising – predominantly ethnic – identities for political or other particular purposes are some of the crucial features of (ethno)politics in the Western Balkans.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Balkans
70. Why Americans pay too much for health care
- Author:
- Institute CATO
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Why do we pay $600 for EpiPens, a long-existing piece of technology that contains just a dollar’s worth of medicine? Why do hospitalized patients so frequently receive bills laden with inflated charges that come out of the blue from out-ofnetwork providers or that demand payment for services that weren’t delivered?
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
71. Cato Educates Capitol Hill
- Author:
- Cato Institute
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Congressional staff members play a vital role in shaping policy—they make decisions on which issues their bosses prioritize, which arguments the representatives and senators hear, and what language makes it into legislation. Cato’s popular Capitol Hill Briefings offer these staff members timely briefings on the most pressing issues facing their offices. At these events, Cato scholars and other experts update the staff on their latest scholarship and policy recommendations, critique current or upcoming legislation, and answer staffers’ questions.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
72. Your Uber Ambulance Has Arrived
- Author:
- Institute Cato
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Ambulances are notoriously expensive—one ride may cost more than $1,000, and insurance companies frequently refuse to cover them. In the past, patients had few alternatives to get themselves to the hospital—but in “Does Ride-Sharing Substitute for Ambulances?” (Research Briefs in Economic Policy no. 114), Leon S. Moskatel of Scripps Mercy Hospital and David J. G. Slusky of the University of Kansas demonstrate how the age of Uber and Lyft is changing that and is reducing expensive and unnecessary ambulance trips.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
73. Japan-Russia relations: The Kremlin has the upper hand
- Author:
- Bart Gaens and Marcin Kaczmarski
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Even though bilateral relations have warmed somewhat, Japan has failed to convince Russia to make concessions with regard to the territorial issue of the Northern Territories/South Kuril Islands, or to cut back its cooperation with China
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Japan
74. The United States braces itself for the midterm elections: Is there a foreign-policy dimension?
- Author:
- Ville Sinkkonen
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Foreign policy rarely plays a decisive role in congressional elections in the US. However, President Trump’s tendency to mix foreign policy into the domestic debate might increase its salience. Electoral success for the Democrats could both constrain and embolden the president’s international conduct.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
75. Does Pattern Bargaining Explain Wage Restraint in the German Public Sector?
- Author:
- Donato Di Carlo
- Publication Date:
- 04-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
- Abstract:
- German public sector wage restraint has been explained through the presence of a specific type of inter-sectoral wage coordination in the industrial relations system – i.e., export sector-led pattern bargaining. This paper has a twofold ambition. First, as a literature assessing exercise, I review the literature in industrial relations and comparative political economy (CPE) and find that (1) the origins and mechanics of inter-sectoral wage coordination through pattern bargaining have never been laid out clearly; (2) the mechanisms of the pattern bargaining thesis have never been tested empirically; and (3) the CPE literature reveals a limiting export-sector bias. Second, as a theory-testing exercise, I perform hoop tests to verify whether the pattern bargaining hypothesis can really account for wage restraint in the German public sector. I find that Germany cannot be considered a case of export sector-driven pattern bargaining. These findings challenge core tenets of a longstanding scholarship in both CPE and industrial relations. Most importantly, they open a new research agenda for the study of public sector wage-setting that should shift its focus to public sector employment relations, public finance, public administrations, and the politics of fiscal policy
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Germany
76. International Monetary Regimes and the German Model
- Author:
- Fritz W Scharpf
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
- Abstract:
- The end of the Bretton Woods regime and the fall of the Iron Curtain deepened the export orientation of the German model of the economy. Only after entry into the Monetary Union, however, did rising exports turn into a persistent export–import gap that became a problem for other eurozone economies. This Discussion Paper shows why the present asymmetric euro regime will not be able to enforce their structural transformation on the German model. Neither will German governments be able to respond to demands that would bring the performance of the German economy closer to eurozone averages. Instead, it is more likely that present initiatives for financial and fiscal risk sharing will transform the Monetary Union into a transfer union.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Germany
77. Joint Humanitarian Operations
- Author:
- Jeremy Konyndyk
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- The Government Reform and Reorganization Plan released earlier this year by the White House calls for substantial reform of US humanitarian institutions. The plan mandates that the State Department and USAID produce a “specific reorganization proposal” to “optimize” humanitarian assistance and “eliminate duplication of efforts and fragmentation of decision-making.” This policy note lays out guidance for how an ambitious but feasible optimization could be achieved. It is informed by two high-level private roundtables convened by the Center for Global Development to solicit expert input, as well as a desk review of documents, expert interviews, and the author’s own experiences serving in the humanitarian arms of both USAID and the State Department. While numerous experts contributed thoughts and feedback, the author takes sole responsibility for the views represented herein.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
78. It’s Like That and That’s the Way It Is? Evaluating Education Policy
- Author:
- Susannah Hares
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- It’s tricky to evaluate government education policies. They’re not implemented in NGO-like laboratory conditions, and political motivation and public sector capacity constraints play as much of a role in their success or failure as policy design. Using the examples of three rigorous studies of three different education policies, this note aims to shed some light from the perspective of someone on the policy side on how, why, and when to evaluate government-led reforms. A government education policy is not an abstract theory that can easily be replicated in a different place. In each new context, it is effectively a brand-new programme and needs to be evaluated as that. None of the three examples presented was “new” as a policy: school inspections, school vouchers, and charter schools have all been tried and evaluated elsewhere. But the evaluations of these policies—when implemented in new contexts—illuminated a new set of challenges and lessons and generated a different set of results.
- Topic:
- Education and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
79. SVP for Clean Energy, on the Union Organizing Drive at Buffalo Solar Factory
- Author:
- Josh Freed
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- Third Way Senior Vice President for Clean Energy Josh Freed released the following statement on the United Steelworkers and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers drive to organize production and maintenance workers at Tesla’s solar factory in Buffalo, New York:
- Topic:
- Climate Change and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
80. DC Can Show True Climate Leadership by Cutting Carbon Even Faster and More Efficiently
- Author:
- Josh Freed
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- I am not only the Vice President for Clean Energy at Third Way, a center left think tank based in Washington dedicated to getting the United States to zero carbon pollution by 2050. I am also a native of the DC area and almost twenty-year District resident. My father was born here, as were my children.
- Topic:
- Climate Change and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
81. DC’s Climate Policy Should Be Even More Ambitious: Testimony Before the Council of the District of Columbia
- Author:
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- My name is Ryan Fitzpatrick, and I am a resident of Ward 5 in the District of Columbia and Deputy Director of Clean Energy for Third Way, a policy think tank here in DC. As we saw yesterday with the release of the new report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world is facing an enormous challenge in the fight against climate change. We at Third Way believe that this demands urgent, aggressive action now to reduce and eliminate carbon pollution as cost-effectively, and from as many sectors of the economy, as possible
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Globalization, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
82. Unemployment to Reemployment: An Idea to Modernize the Safety Net for the Digital Age
- Author:
- Gabe Horwitz
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- The basic tenets of Unemployment Insurance (UI) have changed little since the program was enacted during the Great Depression. It was built as a bridge for workers between jobs in similar industries that required similar skills. You lose your job and a weekly check tides you over until you land a new one, usually doing the same type of work as before.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Employment
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
83. From Silicon Valley to Shenzhen: Dollar Exposures in Chinese Fintech
- Author:
- Michael B Greenwald
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- In the post-9/11 era, Washington has waged innovative campaigns against terrorism finance, sanctions evasion, and money laundering. Leveraging America’s heavyweight status in the international financial system, the United States Treasury has isolated and bankrupted rogue regimes, global terrorists, and their enablers. As financial technology transforms global business, the traditional financial system faces new competition across a suite of offerings, ranging from brokerage services to peer to peer lending. In no area is this clearer than in mobile payments, where a global hegemon lies ready to exercise its weight, and it is not the United States
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Affairs, and Financial Markets
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
84. The China Tariff Mess
- Author:
- Martin S. Feldstein
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- The cost to US consumers and firms imposed by tariffs on Chinese imports is not large relative to the gain that would be achieved if the US succeeds in persuading China to stop illegally taking US firms’ technology. But the Trump administration should state that this is the goal, and that the tariffs will be removed when it is met.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation, International Political Economy, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
85. A New Strategy for European Health Policy
- Author:
- Anna-Lena Kirch and Daniel Braun
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
- Abstract:
- Germany considers itself a leading European power that utilizes its influence to promote EU cohesion in the face of Brexit and numerous other crises. However, a different picture emerges in European health policy, an area that is not only being discussed as an essential part of the EU’s social dimension but also in the context of its security and development positioning: Far from shaping the discussion, Germany is at times even perceived as the brakeman to an effective European health policy.
- Topic:
- Health and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
86. The United States and China— A Relationship Adrift: The New War in Trade, Investment, and High Technology
- Author:
- Asia Society Policy Institute
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- HISTORY TEACHES US THAT PICKING WHEN ONE AGE ENDS AND ANOTHER BEGINS is a tricky business. None of us has the powers of reflection, perception, or anticipation to identify when certain tipping points of historical significance are reached. And when we reach such conclusions, it’s usually with the full benefit of 20/20 hindsight, which for those of us working in the rarefied world of contemporary public policy is not particularly useful
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
87. The United States, China, and Southeast Asia: Can ASEAN Find a New Strategic Equilibrium?
- Author:
- Kevin Rudd
- Publication Date:
- 11-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- U.S.-China relations have now entered into a new structural phase. Officially, the Americans describe this as a change from 40 years of “strategic engagement” to a new period of “strategic competition.” The precise definition of strategic competition, as an operational rather than a declaratory strategy, has yet to fully emerge. But we would be foolish not to recognize that there has been a fundamental systemic shift in U.S. sentiment toward China
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, International Affairs, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- China
88. The Islamic State and Drones: Supply, Scale, and Future Threats
- Author:
- Don Rassler
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
- Abstract:
- The Islamic State is a group known for doing things a bit differently, for its capacity for innovation, and for its many ‘firsts.’ Two of those ‘firsts’ happened within months of each other. The first occurred in October 2016 when the group used a bomb-laden drone to kill, after the explosive hidden within the drone killed two Kurdish peshmerga soldiers who were investigating the device. Another ‘first’ happened in January 2017 when the Islamic State released a propaganda video that showed nearly a dozen examples of the group releasing munitions on its enemies from the air with a fair degree of accuracy via quadcopter drones it had modified. And it wasn’t long before the group’s bomb-drop capable drones would go on to kill, too.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Military Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
89. Exploding Stereotypes: Characteristics of Boko Haram’s Suicide Bombers
- Author:
- Jason Warner and Hilary Matfess
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
- Abstract:
- Since 2009, the Islamist group known as Boko Haram has ushered in a wave of violence across the Lake Chad Basin region of West Africa, at the intersection of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Among other tactics that it has employed during its reign of terror, the group has been noted for its use of suicide bombers. While the prevalence of suicide bombings has been duly recognized, little remains known about the broader arc of their existence and efficacy: What strategic and operational trends underlie Boko Haram’s use of suicide bombers, and how effective have they been at achieving their objectives? Just who are Boko Haram’s suicide bombers? Where are they deployed, what do they target, and how do different bomber demographics differ in their actions? More broadly, what does Boko Haram’s use of suicide bombers reveal about the past, present, and future of the terrorist group?
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
90. Turkish-German Relations From Conjunctural Cooperation to the Solution of Structural Issues
- Author:
- Zeliha Eliaçık
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Abstract:
- To the contrary of its relatively “new” relations with the United States of America, Turkey’s relations with the West have been established and continued via Europe since the period of the Ottoman Empire.1 The military alliance and cooperation initiated between Turkey and Germany in the late 19th century have gained a human dimension in the frame of the “Turkish Labor Force Agreement” signed upon the settlement of Turkish workers in Germany in the 20th century. Bilateral relations have been maintained without interruption despite occasional fluctuations in the intensity of these relations. Recently, the two countries have maintained closer ties as they both are affected by the U.S. sanctions and “trade wars.”
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Cooperation, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey, Germany, and Global Focus
91. Natural partners? Europe, Japan and security in the Indo-Pacific
- Author:
- Luis Simon
- Publication Date:
- 04-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Elcano Royal Institute
- Abstract:
- Europeans and Japanese are often described as ‘natural’ partners. As liberal democracies, market economies and close allies of the US, they have similar world views and share many interests. They also have a long history of cooperation, whose foundations go back to Japan’s embracing of modernisation and industrialisation in the late 19th century along European lines
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
92. Forty years of democratic Spain: Political, economic, foreign policy and social change, 1978-2018
- Author:
- William Chislett
- Publication Date:
- 01-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Elcano Royal Institute
- Abstract:
- Whichever way one looks at it, Spain has been profoundly transformed since the 1978 democratic Constitution that sealed the end of the 1939-75 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, the victor of the three-year Civil War. Be it economically with, for example, the creation of significant number of multinationals or the world’s second-largest tourism industry in terms of visitors (81.8 million in 2017), politically with a vibrant democracy that ranks high in classifications, socially with the greatly improved status of women or in foreign policy –where Spain has reclaimed its place on the international stage–, the country bears no resemblance to what it was like 40 years ago. Over the period, per capita income at purchasing power parity increased fivefold and life expectancy at birth rose by almost 10 years. All the more remarkable is that the transition, guided by King Juan Carlos I, was achieved in the face of considerable adversity. It was not guaranteed from the outset to be successful: the Basque terrorist group ETA killed an average of 50 people a year in the first decade of democracy (and mounted assassination attempts in 1995 on both the King and the Prime Minister, José María Aznar), and Francoist officers staged a coup in 1981 in an attempt to turn back the clock. The economy, which was entering a period of recession, galloping inflation and rising unemployment, was also subjected to unprecedented competition after decades of protectionism. In the first three months of 1976 there were 17,731 cases of industrial action alone. Today’s problems, such as the very high jobless rate, particularly among young adults, acute income inequality, increased social exclusion, the illegal push for independence in Catalonia and corruption in the political class do not detract from the fact that Spain has enjoyed an unprecedented period of prosperity and stability over the past 40 years. Spain has achieved conditions that are similar –in some cases better– than in the rest of Western European nations, disproving the theory, still beloved in some quarters, of the country’s ‘exceptional nature’ or ‘anomaly’.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
93. Dead Man Walking: Time to Put the INF Treaty to Rest?
- Author:
- Ian Anthony
- Publication Date:
- 11-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
- Abstract:
- On 11-12 July 2018, the heads of state and government of the North Atlantic Alliance met in Brussels. Political and public attention centred almost exclusively on the Allies’ defence expenditure, the issue of spending 2% of national GDPs on defence, and President Donald Trump’s criticism of Canada and European nations. The political agenda of the summit, however, and the range of decisions taken there, was much broader and much more substantial. It was the third summit in a row since 2014 that dealt with NATO’s far-reaching and long-term adaptation to the fundamentally changed security environment since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the illegal occupation of Crimea, as well as the emergence of the terrorist organisation ISIL/Daesh. The Wales summit of 2014 adopted the Readiness Action Plan (RAP) as an initial response to Russia’s aggressive posture.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
94. Challenges of Real National Defence
- Author:
- Jonatan Vseviov
- Publication Date:
- 01-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
- Abstract:
- Jonatan Vesviov is the Estonian Ambassador to the US. Before this he worked in the Estonian Ministry of Defence for 10 years. He served as Director of the Policy Planning Department, the ministry’s representative in the Washington embassy, acting and later substantive Undersecretary for Defence Planning, and for two and a half years, Permanent Secretary. This decade saw tumultuous developments in the international situation—the Russian offensive against Georgia, intervention in Syria, the occupation and annexation of the Crimea and ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine in the east of the country. Reorganisation within NATO to respond to Russian behaviour, part of which was the deployment of allied forces to the eastern border of the Alliance, also occurred during this period.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
95. The Citizens’ Opinion of the Police
- Author:
- François Lhoumeau
- Publication Date:
- 10-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Centre for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- The third round of the public opinion survey "The Citizens’ Opinion of the Police Force" was conducted in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. The questionnaire based on which the public opinion survey was conducted was devised by the regional network POINTPULSE to provide answers concerning the citizens’ opinion of the police. The questionnaire included six groups of questions
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
96. Technology and National Security: The United States at a Critical Crossroads
- Author:
- James Kadtke
- Publication Date:
- 01-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Rapid globalization of science and technology (S&T) capacity presents a serious and long-term risk to the military and economic security of the United States. To maintain U.S. preeminence, our domestic science and technology enterprise requires a new paradigm to make it more agile, synchronized, and globally engaged. U.S. technological competitiveness depends not only on research but also on legal, economic, regulatory, ethical, moral, and social frameworks, and therefore requires the vision and cooperation of our political, corporate, and civil society leadership. Re-organizing our domestic S&T enterprise will be a complex task, but recommendations presented in this paper could be first steps on the path to maintaining our future technological security.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
97. What’s next after Theresa May’s spectacular own goal?
- Author:
- Michael Emerson
- Publication Date:
- 06-2017
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
- Abstract:
- This was meant to be a Brexit election to strengthen the Prime Minister’s hand. The result was precisely the opposite. Her management of the Brexit process has become a long sequence of own goals: quit the customs union and single market; watch EU agencies relocate to the continent, including importantly for medicines and banking; banking jobs begin to relocate; science, research and academia see their interests harmed; the budget settlement prospect becomes a big new negative; the Irish border question threatens; immigration from the EU is already declining and various sectors from fruit-picking to the national health service are at risk. Moreover, the UK’s economic growth has slowed down and is now forecast to drop to 1% in 2018; the pound has lost 13% since the referendum; inflation is up; and consumer spending is down. The only solace available to Mrs May is that the Scots seem to be having second thoughts about independence. But this election was her biggest own goal yet. The credibility of her Brexit negotiation method is shattered. She thought the British people could be satisfied with slogans about “Brexit means Brexit”, or “getting the best deal for Britain”, and the now notorious “no deal is better than a bad deal”. Above all there was the failure to define and communicate a credible negotiation strategy. The Brexit White Paper of February 2017 contained serious contradictions, insisting that the UK should get ‘seamless’ market access while still leaving the customs union and the single market.
- Topic:
- International Affairs, Political stability, Europe Union, and Brexit
- Political Geography:
- Britain
98. Trump’s Paris Exit A blow to climate politics, but a boon to regional climate policy?
- Author:
- Milan Elkerbout
- Publication Date:
- 06-2017
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
- Abstract:
- The withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement represents a setback for global climate action. But the damage will be felt more in political and diplomatic terms than in terms of climate policy or reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which depend at least in the near term on domestic climate policies. The election of Donald Trump and the strong Republican majorities in both Houses of Congress that accompanied his election immediately dispelled any hope that the US would implement or maintain ambitious climate policies. Indeed, in the first months of his Presidency, Trump signed an executive order to review (and thus likely roll back) President Obama’s landmark climate policy – the Clean Power Plan. The latter initiative aimed to reduce power-sector emissions by 32% by 2030 through federal legislation. Other US climate policies, such as vehicle standards and methane regulations, are also destined for the axe. Taken collectively, these measures will make it very difficult for the country to meet its Paris pledge of reducing GHG emissions by 26-28% by 2025 compared to 2005, even if another personality occupies the White House by 2021. 1 Improving fundamentals for renewable energy may still allow the US to reach its 2020 target of a 17% reduction in emissions compared to 2005. But the difference between this target and the formal pledge made by the US in Paris is roughly equal to the annual emissions of the entire transport sector in the EU.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, International Affairs, and Climate Finance
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
99. The Trump-Putin Meeting: From Hamburg to Southern Syria
- Author:
- Zvi Magen and Udi Dekel
- Publication Date:
- 07-2017
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- The arrangement between the United States and Russia over southern Syria represents a test, both for the chances of jumpstarting a coordinated process between the world powers over a future settlement in Syria and for the relations between them on other contested issues. Israel was not mentioned in the context of the ceasefire arrangement, but it has scored several achievements. Nonetheless, Israel is likely to confront an attempt by President Assad to advance forces to southwest Syria and the Golan Heights. Because Assad’s forces rely on help from Iran’s proxies – Shiite militias and Hezbollah – Israel may have to fulfill a counter-threat if any of the red lines it announced are crossed.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Russia and America
100. United States Policy on Regime Change in Iran
- Author:
- Ephraim Kam and Zaki Shalom
- Publication Date:
- 08-2017
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- Senior officials within the Iranian regime have long been convinced that American administrations have striven to infiltrate Iran’s internal system and topple the Islamic regime, and this impression has been bolstered of late. For its part, even if the Trump administration has not presented a defined position on regime change in Iran, it undoubtedly has a clear interest in this regard. Yet the US administration has no concrete ability to bring about regime change in Iran in the desired direction – not by supporting internal opposition forces, and certainly not through military intervention. If the Iranian regime does change in the future, it will presumably result from internal processes and not external intervention.
- Topic:
- War, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America and Iran