Number of results to display per page
Search Results
1202. A Legislative Hearing on Four Communications Bills
- Author:
- Robert M McDowell
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Hudson Institute
- Abstract:
- Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
1203. Contemporary Turkish Politics
- Author:
- Marc Lynch
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
- Abstract:
- Turkey has been in the news repeatedly in 2016, from the coup attempt of July to the subsequent government purges to its renewed fight against the PKK and crackdown on Kurdish populations. However surprising these developments may appear for an outside observer, they are deeply rooted in the history of the Turkish state, the evolution of the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP), and the complex identity politics of the region. In October, more than a dozen scholars of Turkish politics gathered at Rice University’s Baker Institute in Houston for a Project on Middle East Political Science workshop to delve into some of these underlying themes. The memos produced for that workshop have been published individually on the POMEPS website and the full collection is now available as a free download here. The authors in this collection provide rich context, new data, and sharp analysis of the nuanced challenges facing the country and the region today
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Middle East
1204. From Mobilization to Counter-Revolution
- Author:
- Marc Lynch
- Publication Date:
- 07-2016
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
- Abstract:
- The Arab uprisings triggered a fierce regional countermobilization by threatened regimes and the elites who benefited from the status quo. This resurgent autocracy did simply restore the old order, however. It created new forms of populist mobilization and established new relationships among civil and military state institution. In May 2016, the Project on Middle East Political Science and Oxford University’s Middle East Center convened a workshop to dig deeply into the new regional politics generated by the authoritarian reconstruction.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Counter-terrorism
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
1205. Women and Gender in Middle East Politics
- Author:
- Marc Lynch
- Publication Date:
- 05-2016
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
- Abstract:
- The barriers to women’s political participation in the Middle East have long preoccupied scholars and analysts. The Arab uprisings of early 2011 disrupted virtually every dimension of Arab politics and societies, forcing a systematic re-evaluation of many long-held political science theories and assumptions. The place of women in politics and the public sphere were no exception.
- Topic:
- Gender Issues and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
1206. Persevering through Colonial Transition: Nazareth’s Palestinian Residents after 1948
- Author:
- Leena Dallasheh
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- Nazareth, the only Palestinian city to survive the 1948 war intact, became the social, economic, and political hub of Palestinian life in the postwar period. As such, it provides the ideal setting to study early Palestinian responses to the creation of Israel. This paper reexamines the ambivalent relationship between Nazareth’s political leadership and the newly established State of Israel to argue that the Palestinian citizens of Israel were neither traitors and collaborators, on the one hand, nor passively quiescent, on the other. Rather, as a new national minority, Palestinians overcame myriad forms of control as they negotiated the structural obstacles placed before them by their new overlords. Local Communist politicians, in particular, took a leading role to advocate on behalf of Nazarenes beset by the day-to-day hardships of poverty, hunger, displacement, and unemployment. The Israeli authorities harped on the Communist threat in response, echoing the Cold War rhetoric of the time
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1207. Language Matters: Talking about Palestine
- Author:
- Julie Peteet
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- This article explores the linguistic repertoires and conceptual categories that are discursive workhorses in the task of informing U.S. public opinion and shaping policy on Palestine. It situates language commodification in a modern settler- colonial context as it intersects with corporate public relations. The article probes two sites of knowledge production and circulation: the media and the academy. It argues that, ultimately, the media’s discursive strategies are handmaidens of violence, enabling and legitimizing colonial relations of displacement and domination. Shifting to academic discourse, particularly anthropology, the article engages with a few selected terms to explore emerging and alternative ways of conceptually framing Palestine.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1208. Perceptions of Palestine: The View from Large Linguistic Datasets
- Author:
- Terry Regier
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- Cultural norms and trends are often reflected in patterns of language use. This article explores cultural perceptions of Palestine and Palestinians in the English- speaking world, through two analyses of large linguistic datasets. The first analysis seeks to uncover current conceptions of participants in the Israel- Palestine conflict, by identifying words that are distinctively associated with those participants in modern English usage. The second analysis asks what historical-cultural changes led to these current conceptions. A general theme that emerges from these analyses is that a cultural shift appears to have occurred recently in the English-speaking world, marked by greater awareness of Palestinian perspectives on the conflict. Possible causes for such a cultural shift are also explored.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1209. Palestinian Economic Development: Paradigm Shifts since the First Intifada
- Author:
- Leila Farsakh
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- This article reflects on the body of knowledge that has been constructed around the Palestinian economy. It traces the paradigm shifts between the two most commonly used theoretical frameworks—neoliberalism and colonialism—and assesses their success in analyzing and explaining the determinants of Palestinian economic growth. The Zionist project itself as well as the significant disparities between the various Palestinian communities that exist (inside Israel, in the occupied territories, and in the diaspora) have figured unevenly or not at all in scholarly analyses. The paper argues that as a result, the scholarship on the Palestinian economy has been quite inconsistent. The discussion seeks to demonstrate that this inconsistency has compromised the ability of economists both to explain the failure of Palestinian development and to identify possible remedies.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1210. Special Feature on Palestinian Well-Being
- Author:
- Paul Aaron Gaston and Thomas Hill
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- THE THREE PAPERS that comprise this dossier vary widely but benefit greatly from being read together. One presents results from an ambitious twenty-five–year study tracking the generation of Palestinians who participated in the first intifada and constitutes an unprecedented piece of research in terms of its length and breadth; the second paints a picture of the late vision and practice of Dr. Eyad El Sarraj, one of the authors of the original study and the man who pioneered psychiatry in Gaza and wedded mental health to the struggle for human rights and political liberation; the third is a recent interview with Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei, the current executive director of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCHMP) which El Sarraj founded in 1990
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1211. Mujid Suleiman Kazimi (1947–2015): A Preeminent Palestinian-American Scientist
- Author:
- Hani Faris and John Makhoul
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- Outstanding nuclear scientist and leading Palestinian-American Mujid S. Kazimi died suddenly in July 2015. This tribute summarizes his professional career and his remarkable contribution to nuclear science, his involvement with Arab- American organizations, and the personal qualities he brought to a lifelong commitment to Palestine.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1212. Documents and Source Material
- Author:
- Journal Of Palestine Studies
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- This section comprises international, Arab, Israeli, and U.S. documents and source materials, as well as an annotated list of recommended reports. Documents and source materials are reproduced without editing to conform to JPS style or spelling. Along with PDFs of recommended reports, they are available in full at www.palestine-studies.org.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1213. Special Document File
- Author:
- Ahmad Samih Khalidi
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- ONE OF THE MANY REASONS for the humbling of the mighty Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the 2006 Lebanon War was an Israeli combat doctrine named Systemic Operational Design, better known by its perhaps aptly abbreviated acronym SOD. The brainchild of a group of military intellectuals clustered around the IDF’s Operational Theory Research Institute (OTRI), SOD was first mooted in 1995. It was an operational doctrine that drew on U.S. studies and postmodern French philosophical and textual analysis to develop an integrative critical and creative approach to the battlefield and generate new means of addressing old problems. The basic paper outlining SOD was signed by then incoming Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and formally adopted as the IDF’s operational doctrine in April 2006.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1214. Commentary: Jerusalem at Boiling Point
- Author:
- Rashid Khalidi
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Journal of Palestine Studies
- Institution:
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- Abstract:
- WITH THESE THREE ESSAYS by residents of Jerusalem, the Journal of Palestine Studies presents wide- ranging and varied accounts of the nature of the violent events in that city, bolstered by precise details and copious facts. As close observers of the situation there, Daniel Seidemann, Nazmi Jubeh, and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian offer granular and often painful descriptions, both from the ground up and analytically, of the Israeli occupation regime’s ceaseless and brutal encroachment on the rights, patrimony, space, and lives of the over three hundred thousand Palestinian residents of occupied Arab East Jerusalem.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Palestine
1215. Local Democracy and Economic Growth
- Author:
- Carl Henrik Knutsen, John Gerring, and Svend-Erik Skaaning
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem)
- Abstract:
- Theoretical work on the institutional sources of economic growth regards decentralization and democracy in a positive light. Despite this, empirical work shows that neither fiscal decentralization nor national democracy is a robust predictor of per capita GDP growth. We argue that these theories have failed to bear fruit because they ignore the linchpin of decentralization and democracy, namely local democracy. Democracy at a local level enhances economic growth by enabling decentralized policy selection and incentivizing local politicians to select policies that benefit economic development, including the provision of local public goods. We test for the relationship using a novel measure of local democracy with global coverage and time series extending from 1900 to the present. We find robust evidence that local democracy nurtures growth. This relationship holds up when accounting for country- and year-fixed effects, when controlling for democracy at the national level, and when we treat our measure of local democracy as an endogenous regressor. Additional tests reveal that the relationship is clearer in contexts where our argument suggests that it should operate more strongly, namely (national- level) democracies and in periods and regions where local-level institutions have a more pronounced role in policy-making.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1216. Space for Local Content Policies and Strategies
- Author:
- Columbia Centre on Sustainable Investment
- Publication Date:
- 10-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- This paper explores both the role that local content measures can play in advancing sustainable development, and the impact that trade and investment treaties concluded over the past 20 years have had and will continue to have on the ability of governments to employ those tools. Certain local content measures had been restricted under the WTO due to wide agreement by negotiating parties that their costs outweigh their benefits. But the WTO also left a number of local content measures in governments’ policy toolboxes. As is discussed in this paper, however, that is changing, with the range of permissible actions for many countries being significantly smaller than it was even a decade ago. This narrowed policy space, in turn, can limit the steps governments can take to make progress on the universally adopted Sustainable Development Goals.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1217. Employment from Mining and Agricultural Investments: How Much Myth, How Much Reality?
- Author:
- Kaitlin Y. Cordes, Olle Östensson, and Perrine Toledano
- Publication Date:
- 07-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Employment creation is often seen as a key benefit of investment in natural resources. However, this benefit sometimes falls short: job estimates may be inflated, governmental policies may fail to maximize employment generation, and, in some cases, investments may lead to net livelihood losses. A more thorough examination of employment tied to mining and agricultural investments is thus useful for assessing whether and how employment from natural resource investments contributes to sustainable economic development—a particularly timely topic as countries consider how they will achieve the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, International Affairs, and Economic Growth
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1218. Guide to Land Contracts: Agricultural Projects
- Author:
- Columbia Centre on Sustainable Investment
- Publication Date:
- 03-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Agricultural investment contracts can be complex, with complicated provisions that are difficult to understand. This Guide provides explanations for a range of common provisions, and includes a Glossary of legal and technical terms. It assists non-lawyers in better understanding agricultural investment contracts, such as those available on OpenLandContracts.org. The Guide was prepared by International Senior Lawyers Project staff and volunteers in collaboration with the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment.
- Topic:
- Agriculture and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1219. V Informe sobre El estado de la Unión Europea 2016: La encrucijada política de Europa
- Author:
- Fundación Alternativas
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Fundación Alternativas
- Abstract:
- Informe en español. Versión pasapáginas aquí.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
1220. The state of the European Union 2016: Europe at the political crossroads
- Author:
- Fundación Alternativas
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Fundación Alternativas
- Abstract:
- The 4th Report on the State of the European Union –”Europe at the political crossroads”– is published as a contribution to a campaign to relaunch the EU, motivated by the belief that the serious problems with which the Union is currently grappling can only be resolved if we address the political challenges it faces. The publication of this report coincides with perhaps the most difficult moment for the Union since its creation. With the EU still struggling to overcome the drastic impact of the economic crisis, it is threatened by the storm clouds of another recession or, at the very least, weak growth.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
1221. Informe sobre sostenibilidad en España 2016: hoja de ruta hacia un modelo sostenible
- Author:
- Ana Belén Sánchez
- Publication Date:
- 05-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Fundación Alternativas
- Abstract:
- Hace unos años propuse que entre los Informes que la Fundación Alternativas dedica a los grandes temas de nuestro país y de Europa –la Democracia, la Desigualdad, la Unión Europea, la Cultura– no podía faltar uno consagrado a la Sostenibilidad.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
1222. Czech-German Relations: A Dialogue in Place of Strategy, in Hope of Strategy and in Need of Strategy
- Author:
- Benjamin Tallis
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations Prague
- Abstract:
- The Czech-German Strategic Dialogue has been hailed as a significant upgrading of relations between the two countries. However, while it holds great potential, the dialogue mainly covers practical or tactical cooperation and is currently lacking in real strategic content. This deficit reflects a wider lack of strategic convergence between the partners and requires political, rather than bureaucratic action to address it. Doing so will require a larger shift in foreign policy thinking and action, particularly on the Czech side," writes Benjamin Tallis in his newest policy paper
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
1223. Migration: A Crisis Europe Can’t Keep Out
- Author:
- Benjamin Tallis
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations Prague
- Abstract:
- Difficulties in persuading EU Member States (EUMS) to act in solidarity with each other – or with refugees – have led to a focus on the ‘external dimensions’ of the migration crisis. This has created a misleading impression of the crisis as external to, rather created by, the EU and EUMS. Equally misleadingly, this framing suggests that the crisis can be dealt with outside, rather within the EU – generally by trying to stop the flow of migrants to Europe. This policy paper challenges this framing and argues that the migration crisis is one of Europe’s own making – and one which must be addressed, primarily, at home," writes Benjamin Tallis in his new policy paper on migration.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
1224. The Use of Force Against the Islamic State
- Author:
- Tamás Lattmann and Veronika Bílková
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations Prague
- Abstract:
- The Islamic State (IS) must not be recognized as a State. It is an illegitimate non-state actor engaged in serious violations of international law. The use of force against the IS does not have a uniform legal basis. Some of the related actions can be justified on the grounds of the consent of the territorial State (this is the case with the US in Iraq, and Russia in Syria). The legality of other actions against the IS (those of Turkey in Iraq, and of the US in Syria) remains doubtful. The IS is likely to be defeated in the upcoming months. The situation does not require a more active engagement by the Czech Republic beyond what it is already doing (provision of weapons, training of armed and police personnel, etc.).
- Topic:
- International Security and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1225. Czech Strategic Partnerships: A Practice in Need of a Vision
- Author:
- Michal Šimečka and Benjamin Tallis
- Publication Date:
- 09-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations Prague
- Abstract:
- The concept of a strategic partnership is gaining prominence in Czech diplomatic practice, but its meaning and implications remain inadequately understood. The policy paper seeks to redress the situation by unpacking the concept and building a framework for understanding strategic partnerships in the Czech context. It argues that while it is not necessary to construct a rigorous definition, more coherence and clarity is needed for strategic partnerships to serve as a meaningful instrument of Czech foreign policy.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
1226. Lost Hopes: Where to Go after the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
- Author:
- Miroslav Tuma
- Publication Date:
- 02-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations Prague
- Abstract:
- The 9th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was held from 27 April to 22 May 2015 at the UN Headquarters in New York, but it failed. The Czech Republic should engage in urging other countries to achieve progress in nuclear disarmament through a compromise approach known as “the building blocks”. In parallel, it should also actively support the process of emphasizing the humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons. Also, the Czech Republic’s good relations with Israel should focus on the support for holding a Middle East conference on the creation of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, a project enjoying long-term EU support. It would also be desirable for the Czech Republic to continue with its strong support for the achievement of the NPT’s universality, the early entry of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into force and the start of a substantive debate about the main points at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
- Topic:
- Nuclear Weapons and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1227. Success or Failure? Assessment of the Readmission Agreement Between the EU and Turkey from the Legal and Political Perspectives
- Author:
- Berfin Nur Osso
- Publication Date:
- 10-2016
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations Prague
- Abstract:
- The discussion paper by Berfin Nur Osso, former intern at the Institute of International Relations Prague and a senior undergraduate student at the Koç University in Istanbul majoring in Law and minoring in International Relations, focuses on the assessment of the readmission agreement between the EU and Turkey.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Europe Union
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Turkey
1228. A primary exploration on cyber security governance in Africa
- Author:
- XIAO Yingying and YUAN Zhengqing
- Publication Date:
- 07-2016
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- The internet history in Africa is short, but this new technology is spreading fast on the continent. Along with this, cybercrime in Africa is becoming increasingly rampant, while the relevant legal institutions and law enforcement capacity are lagging behind, with public and private cyber security awareness being relatively weak. In recent years, African countries start accelerating the design of institutional framework concerning cyber security governance. Besides e-transaction and cybercrime, personal data protection is also part of Africa’s cyber security governance, which is the result of the “impartment“ from Western developed countries and the active advocacy from NGOs. Whether at the national level, sub-regional organization level, the African Union level or NGO level, those Western developed countries and western-dominated international organizations have played a role in the institutional design of African cyber security governance, some of which referred to or even copied the original designs of the Western countries. This may lead to the African continent being “recolonized” in cyberspace, with no autonomous decision-making power in global cyber security governance. Besides, from design to implementation, African countries still have a long way to go, and whether the institutions based on the western experience are suitable for the culture and ideas of the African countries, remains to be tested with practice.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Africa and China
1229. Governance, Accountability, and Security in Nigeria
- Author:
- Oluwakemi Okenyodo
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- As in much of Africa, the vast majority of security threats facing Nigeria are internal, often involving irregular forces such as insurgents, criminal gangs, and violent religious extremists. Effectively combating such threats requires cooperation from local communities—cooperation limited by low levels of trust in security forces who often have reputations for corruption, heavy-handedness, and politicization. Tackling modern security threats, then, is directly tied with improving the governance and oversight of the security sector, especially the police. Key paths forward include clarifying the structure of command and oversight, strengthening merit-based hiring and promotion processes, and better regulating private and voluntary security providers.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Corruption, International Affairs, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Nigeria
1230. 9th U.S.-China High-Level Political Party Leaders Dialogue
- Author:
- Natalie Pretzer-Lin
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- A delegation of senior officials from the Communist Party of China (CPC) met with U.S. Democratic and Republican Party leaders and global business leaders in Washington, D.C., on November 14, 2016. These discussions were part of the U.S.-China High-Level Political Party Leaders Dialogue organized by the EastWest Institute (EWI) in partnership with the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) and was the ninth round of this dialogue process.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- China and America
1231. Victimized by Geopolitics
- Author:
- Wael Abdul-Shafi
- Publication Date:
- 10-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- The EastWest Institute and the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO) held a two-day confidential dialogue meeting between participants from Iran and Saudi Arabia in Bonn on April 27-28, 2016. The two groups from Iran and Saudi Arabia were composed of former diplomats, senior analysts, and security and military experts. In addition, a group of distinguished experts from the European think tank community contributed with their input and analysis. Held under strict Chatham House Rule, the dialogue aimed at gaining insights on how Saudi Arabia and Iran view the ongoing crises in the Middle East and how they believe Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen can be stabilized and how the escalating refugee crisis can be contained.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Refugee Crisis
- Political Geography:
- Iran and Saudi Arabia
1232. Afghanistan Reconnected: Cross-Border Cooperation at a Critical Juncture
- Author:
- Annie Cowan
- Publication Date:
- 09-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- In the lead-up to the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, the EastWest Institute's Regional Security Initiative has released a major report, Afghanistan Reconnected: Cross-Border Cooperation at a Critical Juncture, which highlights problems in regional cooperation in the areas of trade and transit and energy, offering actionable recommendations that have been developed over three years of consultation with participants in the Afghanistan Reconnected Process, a high-level network including members of governments, the private sector, business leaders, and experts throughout the region. This report aims at encouraging government and private sector actors in the region, as well as the broader international community, to sustain momentum and commitment towards the development and stabilization of Afghanistan despite the declining security situation. The report includes an introduction by Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser, Chair of the International Contact Group on Afghanistan, Special Representative of the German Federal Government for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and chapters addressing various issues areas, prepared by project experts.
- Topic:
- International Security and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan
1233. The path to normalisation between Israel and Turkey
- Author:
- Arad Nir
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
- Abstract:
- Israel-Turkey policy dialogue publication series
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Israel
1234. Resilience and Change: The Party System in Redemocratized Chile
- Author:
- J. Samuel Valenzuela, Timothy R. Scully, and Nicolás Somma
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Recent literature on the Chilean party system has noted that its characteristics changed under the impact of Pinochet's long dictatorship. The right allegedly became a tool for maintaining his regime's “legacies,” and this generated a binary pattern of electoral competition between “pro-authoritarian” and “prodemocratic” forces after the return to democracy. The literature has also stressed that levels of identification with the nation's parties have plummeted, thereby questioning the extent to which the Chilean party system is an institutionalized one. And yet all analysts acknowledge, without being able to explain, that the distribution of voter options for the main parties from one election to the next has continued to be largely stable
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Chile
1235. Iraq between Popular Momentum and Frozen Reforms
- Author:
- Cherine Chams El-Dine
- Publication Date:
- 03-2016
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)
- Abstract:
- Since the end of July 2015 a major popular uprising has erupted in Iraq’s provinces – aside from the territories under the control of the so-called Islamic State (IS) and the Kurdish provinces. This protest movement, deemed to be the largest secular popular movement challenging the post-2003 political order in Iraq, has largely departed from the narrow sectarian paradigm that has so far monopolised the analysis of Iraqi politics. This paper examines the uprising’s actors, its slogans, its internal dynamics/organisational structure, and the Iraqi government’s frenetic response to popular demands.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iraq
1236. De-Urbanising the Syrian Revolt
- Author:
- Isam al Khafaji
- Publication Date:
- 03-2016
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)
- Abstract:
- The Syrian revolt, which has disintegrated into a bloody attrition war, has been largely viewed as that of a majority Sunni population trying to depose a regime belonging to the minority Alawite sect. While this view may present a partially true explanation, it fails to explain why the involvement of different Sunni regions in the revolt varied to a large extent and the rising gap between the anti-Assad urbanites on the one hand and the armed militants on the other. It further fails to account for the wide diversity within the rebellion camp and the hostilities among the mushrooming opposition groups.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Popular Revolt
- Political Geography:
- Syria
1237. China’s Future SSBN Command and Control Structure
- Author:
- David C. Logan
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- China is developing its first credible sea-based nuclear forces. This emergent nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) force will pose unique challenges to a country that has favored tightly centralized control over its nuclear deterrent. The choices China makes about SSBN command and control will have important implications for strategic stability. Despite claims that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force will be responsible for all Chinese nuclear forces, Chinese SSBNs currently appear to be under the control of the PLA Navy. However, China may choose to revise its command and control structures as its SSBNs begin armed deterrent patrols. There are three broad command and control models, allocating varying degrees of authority to the PLA Navy or the Rocket Force. China’s decisions about SSBN command and control will be mediated by operational, bureaucratic, and political considerations. A hybrid approach to command and control, with authority divided between the navy and the Rocket Force, would be most conducive to supporting strategic stability.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- China
1238. Cross-Functional Teams in Defense Reform: Help or Hindrance?
- Author:
- Christopher J. Lamb
- Publication Date:
- 02-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- There is strong bipartisan support for Section 941 of the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017, which requires the Pentagon to use cross-functional teams (CFTs). CFTs are a popular organizational construct with a reputation for delivering better and faster solutions for complex and rapidly evolving problems. The Department of Defense reaction to the bill has been strongly negative. Senior officials argue that Section 941 would “undermine the authority of the Secretary, add bureaucracy, and confuse lines of responsibility.” The Senate’s and Pentagon’s diametrically opposed positions on the value of CFTs can be partially reconciled with a better understanding of what CFTs are, how cross-functional groups have performed to date in the Pentagon, and their prerequisites for success. This paper argues there is strong evidence that CFTs could provide impressive benefits if the teams were conceived and employed correctly.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1239. Will Technological Convergence Reverse Globalization?
- Author:
- T. X. Hammes
- Publication Date:
- 07-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- Numerous trends are slowing, and may even be reversing, globalization over the next decade or two. Manufacturing and services, driven by new technologies, are trending toward local production. For economic, technical, and environmental reasons, new energy production is now dominated by local sources—solar, wind, hydro, and fracked natural gas. To meet an increasing demand for fresh, organic foods, firms are establishing indoor farms in cities across the developed world to grow and sell food locally. Recent trade flow statistics indicate these factors have already slowed globalization. Technological and social developments will accelerate these inhibiting trends. Voters in the United States and Europe are increasingly angry over international trade. Prospects for passage of major trade agreements are dim.Authoritarian states, particularly China and Russia, are balkanizing the Internet to restrict access to information.Technological advances are raising the cost of overseas intervention while deglobalization is reducing its incentives. This paper argues that deglobalization would have momentous security implications. Accordingly, deglobalization must be monitored closely and if the trend continues,U.S. leaders will need to consider restructuring organizations, alliances,and national security strategy
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1240. Reflections on U.S.-Cuba Military-to-Military Contacts
- Author:
- Hal Klepak
- Publication Date:
- 07-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba in March 2016 opened up the possibility of strategic benefits for both nations. Well after over 50 years of hostility, however, it will not be easy to keep this nascent relationship on track. Avoiding missteps requires a deep knowledge of Cuba and particularly its Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, or FAR). The FAR are a complex and powerful institution that enjoys great public respect—more so than Cuba's Communist Party—and remain central to the functioning of the Cuban economy and state. Broadening rapprochement without the support of the FAR is inconceivable. To build on the historic opening in diplomatic relations, both sides need a better appreciation of the other’s institutional norms and some clear "rules of the road" to guide the relationship. This paper offers insights concerning the FAR. It argues that it will be important to expand cooperation in the right areas and that it will be important to start small, go slow, build trust, consult early and often, let Cuba take the lead, and avoid imposing or reflecting a U.S.-centric view of civil-military relations.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1241. The NATO Warsaw Summit: How to Strengthen Alliance Cohesion
- Author:
- Alexander Mattelaer
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- In July 2016 NATO leaders will meet in Warsaw to formally review whether earlier decisions on strengthening the Alliance’s collective defenses are sufficient. Greater efforts will be needed, but consensus may not be easy to achieve. Below the surface, the cohesion of NATO is under severe strain from multiple crises including Russian revanchism, mass migration, and terrorism. Summit preparations are also taking place under the shadow of potential strategic shocks. Internal disagreements fueled by rising populism could lead to a British exit from the European Union, a disorderly breakdown of the Schengen system, or worse. In this context it would be a mistake to underestimate the risk of NATO fragmentation. To strengthen cohesion, U.S. leaders should consider broadening the debate beyond the immediate concerns over Europe’s troubled neighborhood, fostering intra-European peer pressure on providing adequate military capabilities, and stimulating European nations to develop complementary force postures. These initiatives could revitalize the transatlantic bond, but would require patient engagement before and after the summit.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1242. Supporting Democracy in Erdoǧan’s Turkey: The Role of Think Tanks
- Author:
- Richard H.M Outzen and Ryan Schwing
- Publication Date:
- 05-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- Fifteen years into the era of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, U.S. influence on his inner circle and support base, the new generation of Turkish strategic thinkers, and the Turkish public at large has diminished rather than improved. American Turkey watchers have grown frustrated with perceived divergence of interests, values, and agendas. A growing number consider Erdoğan and his inner circle autocratic, difficult, ideologically extreme, and dangerous.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
1243. China's Goldwater-Nichols? Assessing PLA Organizational Reforms
- Author:
- Philip C. Saunders and Joel Wuthnow
- Publication Date:
- 05-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is undertaking its most significant restructuring since 1949, including changes to all of the PLA’s main organizational pillars—the Central Military Commission, services, and theaters. The reforms are modeled partly on the U.S. military structure, where combatant commanders lead operations and the services train and equip troops. However, the PLA remains a Leninist military responsible for defending Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule. The reforms aim to tighten CCP supervision over a force seen as corrupt and unaccountable and to enhance the PLA’s ability to conduct joint operations across multiple domains. Theater commanders will be able to develop force packages drawn from all the services, and a new Strategic Support Force will provide C4ISR support. The reforms will create a short term organizational disruption, but may enable more effective joint war fighting over the long term. The PLA will have to overcome significant obstacles such as continued ground force dominance and inter-service rivalry to make the reforms succeed.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- China
1244. National Security Reform and the 2016 Election
- Author:
- Christopher J. Lamb and Joseph C Bond
- Publication Date:
- 03-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- Over the past 20 years, there has been a sea change in senior leader views on national security reform from skepticism to support. Nine major studies argue the national security system cannot generate or integrate the capabilities needed to manage security problems well. The system is “broken.” Yet there are major obstacles to reform. Inexperienced U.S. Presidents discover system limitations too late, when it is politically difficult to correct them; experts who have not studied system behaviors underestimate their liabilities; and leaders in the Department of Defense are more likely to favor reform than their counterparts in other departments, which creates a bureaucratic backlash against reform. However, two key prerequisites for success are in place: galvanizing cases of unsustainable performance, and in-depth problem analysis that reveals the origins of the same. A third prerequisite is committed leadership. With that in mind, the authors identify several reasons why Presidential candidates should embrace national security reform during the 2016 campaign.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1245. Posing Problems without an Alliance: China-Iran Relations after the Nuclear Deal
- Author:
- Joel Wuthnow
- Publication Date:
- 03-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- China is poised to increase economic and diplomatic cooperation with Iran as a result of sanctions relief under the recent Iran nuclear deal, though a close geopolitical alignment between the two states is unlikely. Sino-Iranian relations will remain limited by several enduring constraints, including China’s desire for positive ties with other states, its pursuit of energy diversification, and its need for regional stability. Renewed Chinese arms sales to Iran could constitute an emerging challenge for the United States. This could increase Iran’s antiaccess/ area-denial threat to U.S. military forces and create proliferation risks. U.S. officials should press Chinese interlocutors to avoid exporting advanced weapons, which could embolden Iran to conduct a more brazen foreign policy that would threaten China’s fundamental need for regional stability
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- China and Iran
1246. Korean Unification and the Future of the U.S.-ROK Alliance
- Author:
- David F. Helvey
- Publication Date:
- 03-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Abstract:
- Unification of the Korean Peninsula would remove the primary threat that has animated the U.S.–Republic of Korea (ROK) alliance for over 60 years, but it need not require termination of the alliance. An alliance between the United States and a unified Korea would, at a macro level, reinforce the international liberal democratic order. At a micro level, it could help ensure security on the Korean Peninsula during the process of integrating the North, assist in the defense of Korea, and serve as a platform for multilateral security cooperation. A future alliance should be a part of planning for Korean unification and should consider the purpose of the alliance, its roles and missions, coordinating structures, and presence (if any) of U.S. troops. It should also include diplomatic efforts to assure China, Russia, and Japan that a future alliance would respect sovereignty and support stability. A reconfigured alliance should reflect greater equality between the United States and a unified Korea to ensure its political sustainability in both capitals. Planning for a future alliance must not erode the critical functions of deterrence that the alliance performs today
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Korea
1247. Demonetisation and Beyond: Addressing the Finance of Terrorism
- Author:
- Vivek Chadha
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
- Abstract:
- The impact of the demonetisation policy as related to curbing the finance of terrorism announced on November 08, 2016, is gradually emerging from the shadow of its surprise announcement. It is becoming abundantly clear that this is unlikely to remain a one off decision taken in isolation and will in all probability be accompanied by additional measures against the financing of terrorism and corruption. Even as the rollout takes place, it provides an opportunity to assess its potential fallout in the mid and long term, as also possible future options available to the government to further build upon the ongoing initiative.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1248. Beyond Cartographic Assertion: A Roadmap on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir
- Author:
- Priyanka Singh
- Publication Date:
- 08-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
- Abstract:
- Most of India’s geopolitical vexations stem from a contested northern periphery, entailing disputes born either in the aftermath of independence or inherited from British rule. Principal among these is the region of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Soon after independence, a huge portion of J&K’s territory was bifurcated from the rest of the princely state as a result of the Pakistan-aided assault conducted in these regions during 1947-48. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) refers to those parts of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) that continue to be under Pakistan’s control. It comprises the so-called ‘Azad’ Jammu and Kashmir (‘AJK’), and Gilgit Baltistan, which latter was referred to as the Northern Areas by the government of Pakistan until 2009. India stakes a claim on these territories by virtue of the Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh on 26 October 1947.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1249. Karbi Insurgency in Assam: The Way Forward
- Author:
- Sushil Kumar Sharma
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
- Abstract:
- Earlier this year, the Karbi People’s Liberation Tigers (KPLT) issued a threat to the local media after journalists at a meeting in Diphu Press Club unanimously decided not to publish the outfit’s calls for bandh against the assembly election scheduled in the district on April 04, 2016.1 In fact, just two days before the election, two KPLT militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Karbi Anglong. Over the years, insurgency has adversely affected the socio-economic development of the district compared to the rest of the state. Development projects in the district have long been hampered by abductions and demands for extortion money by the insurgents.2 While most of the local insurgent groups have come under the ceasefire agreement, the KPLT continues to pose threat to security and development in the Karbi Anglong region. Apart from KPLT, the Naga Rengma Hills Protection Force (NRHPF) and the Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA) are also active in the area.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- India
1250. The SCO: India enters Eurasia
- Author:
- P. Stobdan
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
- Abstract:
- The Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have recently finalised the draft agenda for the next Summit of the grouping to be held in Tashkent on June 23-24. Among other things, they adopted a procedure document for accession of India (and Pakistan) into the SCO. Originated in 1996 as “Shanghai-5” to build confidence building measures along the Sino-Central Asian frontier, the SCO became a full-fledged grouping in 2011 with a broader charter for anchoring Eurasian political, economic and military affairs. While SCO was initially an exclusive club comprising of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, other countries – India, Mongolia, Iran, and Pakistan – joined in 2005 as Observer states.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus