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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

16 20 March 2015

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series looks at why NATO needs to forge four new strategic
partnerships in Africa; whether a 'Black Sea Battalion' could have prevented the Ukraine crisis; whether Chinese civilian
leaders actually control the People's Liberation Army (PLA) or not; why the so-called Islamic State is recruiting child
soldiers; and what is the true nature of hybrid warfare. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW series, we look at the
EU's nascent migration plan and its problems; the possibility of Afghanistan becoming a permanently neutral nation; how
the DRC's Joseph Kabila is consolidating his grip on power; how ISIS' recent murder of Japanese citizens has rekindled
debates about the country's role in the world; and why so many Muslim states are hotbeds of organized crime.

NATO's African Quartet: Forging a New Strategic Partnership

16 March 2015

Samir Tata thinks that NATO will need to forge new strategic partnerships with Algeria, Angola, Libya and Nigeria in the
coming years. That's because this African quartet is set to play a greater role in safeguarding the Alliance's energy
security. More

EU Migration Plan "Dangerously Incomplete"

16 March 2015

Why are organizations such as Amnesty International worried about the EU's desire to create a binding, European-wide
migration plan? Among other reasons, Kristy Siegfried worries the outlined agenda is both ill-defined and too incomplete.
More

Could a BLACK-BAT Have Secured Ukraine?

17 March 2015

Neutrality in Afghanistan's Foreign Policy

17 March 2015

Should Afghanistan be neutral in its foreign relations, and thereby increase its stability, preserve its territorial integrity, and
dampen the competition for influence among its neighbors? The idea has its merits, admits Nasir Andisha, but daunting
preconditions must first be met. More

China's People's Liberation Army The Politico-Military Nexus

18 March 2015

China's civilian control over its armed forces works not because the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is apolitical, but
because it's thoroughly politicized. It's an arrangement that Juliette Genevaz expects, for better or worse, to become even
stronger under Xi Jinping. More

Congolese Lessons for the Great Lakes

18 March 2015

Should the diplomatic efforts to prevent the DRC's Joseph Kabila from tightening his grip on power be extended to other
Great Lakes countries? Cristina Barrios believes so. After all, the unconstitutional attempt to extend a president's mandate
could also happen to them. More

The Role of Child Soldiers in a Multigenerational Movement

19 March 2015

The Long-Term Impact of Japan's Hostage Crisis

19 March 2015

The recent murder of Japanese hostages by ISIS has renewed debates about the country's role in the world. As John
Hemmings sees it, the event 1) strengthened the country's resolve to 'normalize' itself, 2) illustrated the weaknesses of the
pacifist Left, and 3) enabled Shinzo Abe to demonstrate his use of 'Kantei Diplomacy'. More

Hybrid War: Old Concept, New Techniques

20 March 2015

Hybrid warfare may have its roots in past conflicts but it also has the power to transform the strategic calculations of
today's combatants. According to Alex Deep, that's because of the growing proliferation of non-state actors, information
technology and advanced weapons systems. More

A New Enemy - How Conflict in the Islamic World Is Driving International Organized Crime
13 March 2015

Why have so many Muslim states become hotbeds of organized crime? Neil Thompson's answer looks beyond depressed
economies, faltering dictatorships and human rights abuses. Indeed, he sees too many individuals that have become
corrupted by the countless opportunities that conflict provides. More

// Blog
The Time Is Right for US-China Nuclear Dialogue
16 March 2015

Analysts remain divided over the current state of US-China nuclear relations. While some see growing cooperation
between the two states, others worry that a collision of wills is just around the corner. Either way, Ralph Cossa and John
Warden think the time is right for a formalized US-China nuclear dialogue. More

As Crisis in Venezuela Deepens, Maduro's Iron Fist Tightens

17 March 2015

What explains Nicols Maduro's ongoing crackdown on Venezuela's opposition leaders and street protestors? Marco
Aponte-Moreno and Lance Lattig think that the Venezuelan president might be preparing to declare a state of emergency
once threatened by his predecessor Hugo Chvez. More

The Case for Better Aid to Pakistan: Climate, Health, Demographic Challenges Demand New Approach
18 March 2015

Kate Diamond thinks that the United States' next aid package to Pakistan should focus on more than just high visibility
infrastructure projects. As she sees it, the abovementioned issues should be more than mere afterthoughts. More

The US Coast Guard's Western Hemisphere Strategy

19 March 2015

Are there any shortcomings in the US Coast Guard's recently published Western Hemisphere Strategy? W Alejandro
Sanchez Nieto and Erica Illingworth believe so. For starters, it doesn't fully account for the role that extra-hemispheric
navies are playing in combatting drug traffickers in the Caribbean. More

The Future of the Two Koreas

20 March 2015

At the CSS' most recent Evening Talk, Eun-Jeung Lee first focused on the historical and geopolitical factors that continue
to divide the two Koreas. Nina Belz then summarized their neighbors' perspectives on Korean reunification. Here's what
they specifically had to say. More

// Video

Taiwan's Marginalized Role in International Security

In this video, Matthew Salmon and Shen Lyu-shun review the conclusions of "Taiwan's Marginalized Role in International
Security," a CSIS report that explores the country's disputed sovereignty and the negative impact it's had on Taipei's role
as a security actor. More

What do Lessons from History Tell us about the Future of War?

In this video, three well-known scholars explore what can be learned from history about 1) the future uses of strategy, 2)
the relationship between war and politics, and 3) the enduring characteristics of war. More

In this video, ASP's Seyom Brown uses the insights gleaned from his book, "Faces of Power," to 1) analyze the national
security policies of the Obama administration, 2) compare and contrast them with previous US policies, and 3) assess
their potential impact on future US administrations. More

// Multimedia Content
Here is a selection of this week's additions to the ISN Digital
Library:

Publications More
// Breaking the Cyber-Sharing Logjam
More
// False Dichotomy: Stability versus Reform in the Arab World
More
// From Replica to Real: An Introduction to Firearms Conversions
More

Videos More
// China's Security and Foreign Policies Part 2
More
Future of American Power and Influence More
/The
/
//The Syrian Conflict: Four Years OnMore

Audio / Podcasts More

// Voices on Ukraine - Ivan Krastev
More
// Prime Minister Netanyahu's Speech and Security Competition in the Middle East
More
// Assessing John Baird's Tenure as Foreign Minister More

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