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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

15 19 June 2015

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series looks at the prospects of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in
the Middle East; the possibility of greater US involvement in UN peacekeeping operations; the need to integrate China into
US-Russia strategic nuclear arms reductions talks; the recent application of John Boyd's strategic principles by several
geopolitical actors; and Russia's efforts to consolidate its influence throughout the post-Soviet space. Then, in our second,
more wide-ranging SW series, we consider how Nigeria might reverse its much vaunted oil curse; the EU's contributions to
security and stability in Kosovo; the future of the Afghan Local Police; how diplomacy is now being practiced in a
globalized world; and the strategies Western governments should adopt to deal with returning foreign fighters.

Prospects for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East


15 June 2015

Is a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East likely to materialize any time soon? Not according to Gawdat Bahgat. As
the 2015 NPT Review Conference illustrated, 1) US support for Israel's regional nuclear monopoly remains as strong as
ever, and 2) the leverage Arab regimes have over Tel Aviv remains weak. More

How to Reverse Nigeria's Oil Curse


15 June 2015

Muhammadu Buhari can't clean up Nigeria's opaque and corrupt oil industry on his own. As Sarah Chayes sees it, the
Nigerian president also needs the backing of the country's public and private sectors if he hopes to break the country's
resource curse once and for all. More

Making the Case for a Greater US Presence in UN Peacekeeping


16 June 2015

Both critics and supporters agree that there are significant obstacles to the US increasing its presence in UN
peacekeeping operations. According to Barbara Crossette, the hurdles include concerns over the lost neutrality of the
operations, the possibility that they might become more war-like and other worries. More

Economic Development is Crucial for Kosovo


16 June 2015

How is the European Union (EU) helping Kosovo improve its economic fortunes? And why is the former Yugoslav republic
the site of Brussels' largest Common Security and Defense Policy mission in the world? Find out in today's question and
answer session with EU Special Representative Samuel Zbogar. More

Chinese Military Modernization: Implications for Strategic Nuclear Arms Control


17 June 2015

Is it time for the United States and Russia to factor China into their dialogue on strategic nuclear arms reductions?
Stephen Cimbala believes so. As he sees it, Beijing's military modernization program could lead to the deployment of a
'more than minimum' deterrent force within a decade.More

The Future of the Afghan Local Police


17 June 2015

While expanding the reach and remit of the Afghan Local Police might cause problems in the future, abruptly halting the
program could also give the country's insurgents a military edge. Today, our partners at the International Crisis Group
outline how they would wind the project down. More

John Boyd's Revenge: How ISIS Got Inside Our OODA Loop
18 June 2015

Diplomacy in the Age of Globalization


18 June 2015

How can proponents of human security help overcome the limitations of traditional state-on-state approaches towards
defense? According to Joseph Siracusa, they can encourage decision-makers to engage more deeply with the problems
of world order and the consequences of an anarchic international system. More

Russia and the South Caucasus: Exploiting Unresolved Conflicts


19 June 2015

Is the West too focused on Ukraine and thereby diverting its attention from Russia's attempts to consolidate its influence
elsewhere? Just look at what's happening in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, says Tracey German. Both territories are on the
verge of being absorbed into the political and military structures of the Russian Federation. More

What to Do When Foreign Fighters Come Home


19 June 2015

Not every Western fighter who returns home from the so-called Islamic State will pose a threat to national security, writes
Georgia Holmer. That's why governments must develop targeted and thoughtful strategies that discourage returnees from
continuing their violent ways. More

// Blog

'You Have to Neutralise Terrorists through Terrorists': Is There a Method to This Madness?
15 June 2015

What prompted India's Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar to make the above statement? Kamaldeep Sandhu thinks the
comment points to the only 'offensive' option New Delhi has left to deter a proxy war with Pakistan. After all, the militant
groups that its neighbor supports are also its Achilles' heel. More

Military-wise, There Is No Europe


16 June 2015

Jyri Raitasalo thinks there are four reasons why the EU has failed to develop an integrated approach to European defense
and security 1) a continued desire to cash in on the post-Cold War peace dividend; 2) less defense spending; 3) fewer
common security interests; and 4) lackluster contributions to 'external' military operations. More

International Law and the Changing Face of Conflict


17 June 2015

How has the growth of international humanitarian law (IHL) changed the nature of conflict? Moreover, how have military
forces, secessionists and others attempted to grapple with the complexities of IHL? Find out in today's coverage of our
recent Evening Talk with the University of Notre Dame's Tanisha Fazal. More

Is France Taking a Strategic Holiday?


18 June 2015

The title of this article isn't as ill-judged or misplaced as it seems, writes Daniel Fiott. Despite France's proactive behavior
in recent conflicts, he believes that Paris has taken its eye off the single most important issue in its national security the
European balance of power. More

The International Dimension of Tunisia's Success Story


12 June 2015

Is Tunisia well on its way to securing its democratic transition? Andreas Kaufmann believes so. That's due in part to the
support that the North African country has received from established international partners such as France and the United
States.
More

// Video

Lasers, Railguns, and Drones: Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on the Future of the Navy and Marine Corps

In this video, US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus discusses how his department plans to maintain its global presence
and humanitarian commitments in a time of budgetary austerity. He also discusses how new technologies will change the
way the US Navy and Marine Corps fight in the future. More

The Second Baptism of Rus? The Return of Religion and the (Soviet) Origins of Russian Patriotism

In this video, Wesleyan University's Victoria Smolkin-Rothrock discusses how the Soviet Union's policies towards religion
contributed to the prominent role religious faith now plays in Russian politics and public life.
More

A Dangerous Master: How to Keep Technology from Slipping Beyond Our Control

In this video, Yale University's Wandell Wallach discusses his new book, "A Dangerous Master," which focuses on how
emerging technologies -- i.e., combat drones, nanotechnology, 3-D printing, synthetic organisms and more -- are upending
the norms and standards long associated with technology's use. More

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

Publications More
// Beyond the UNFCCC: Rethinking the Global Politics of Climate Change More
// Extremism on the Internet: The Fight Against Online Radicalisation Starts Offline More
// The Balance-Sheet of Conflict: Criminal Revenues and Warlords in Syria More

Videos More
// Fragility, Conflict & Humanitarianism More
/The
/
Time of the Kurds More
/Religion
/
and Values in US Foreign Policy More

Audio / Podcasts More


// Experts Reflect on Turkey's Elections, Results and Implications More
// Who is Shinzo Abe?
More
// ECFR's World in 30 Minutes: SanctionsMore

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