This Week at ISN

18 - 22 Mar 2013 This week we feature the 2013 edition of CSS' popular Strategic Trends series. It provides in-depth analyses on the following four issues the de-Westernization of globalization, growing maritime insecurity in the Asia Pacific region, the changing dynamics of military crisis management and the 'glocalization' of al Qaeda.

Strategic Trends 2013

CSS Launches Strategic Trends 2013
18 Mar 2013

The Center for Security Studies has just published its annual Strategic Trends volume. We speak to its authors about some of the issues they raise and the themes they stress. More The De-Westernisation of Globalisation
19 Mar 2013

Because they now see a direct correlation between economics and national security, Western leaders are trying to 'rein in' globalization or so Jonas Gratz claims. Whether they can do that, however, will depend on their ability to pursue coherent economic agendas and solve assorted domestic problems. More Maritime Insecurity in East Asia
20 Mar 2013

Colliding interests over Taiwan and China's maritime disputes are just two of the reasons why the US and Chinese militaries are adjusting their doctrines against each other. Prem Mahadevan believes that this trend will most likely persist, even while diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions also continue. More Shifting Parameters of Military Crisis Management
21 Mar 2013

Because Western governments are now reluctant to embroil their militaries in messy foreign disputes, the idea of "partnership" i.e., quickly transferring this responsibility to local or regional actors has become popular. This desire is understandable, writes Andrea Baumann, but will the idea actually work? More The Glocalisation of Al Qaedaism
22 Mar 2013

Despite its obvious operational limitations, al Qaeda's ruthless ideology has attracted far-flung adherents in recent years. Indeed, the regional groups that now embrace its vision and copy its methods have become a far greater security threat than once imagined, or so Prem Mahadevan reminds us. More

Security Watch
Post-Chavez US-Venezuelan Relations: Headed for a Thaw?
18 Mar 2013

Hugo Chavez's death has left a huge political vacuum in Venezuela. Geopolitical Monitor's Zachary Fillingham predicts the country's future political direction and the prospects for improved relations between Washington and Caracas. More

Method not Madness: Why Tehran Continues to Pursue its Nuclear Program
19 Mar 2013

Despite widespread international condemnation and tough sanctions, Iran's controversial nuclear program shows no sign of slowing down. Benjamin Mayer explains why Tehran continues to pursue a program that has so many opponents. More Our Arctic Strategy Deficit
20 Mar 2013

William Edwards believes that the United States is ill-prepared to defend its strategic interests in the Arctic. To overcome this problem, he recommends that Washington concentrates its energies on crafting a workable Arctic treaty with other legitimate powers in the region. More NATO, Uzbekistan and the ISAF Withdrawal
21 Mar 2013

The precarious security situation in Pakistan has prompted NATO to look to Uzbekistan as an alternative transportation route for its planned withdrawal from Afghanistan. Yet, as Sonia Rothwell reveals, many member-states remain uncomfortable working with a regime that has a poor human rights record. More Private Military and Security Companies Agree to Increased International Oversight
22 Mar 2013

Private military and security contractors recently added a new oversight mechanism to their international code of conduct. While the addition is a relatively small one James Cockayne believes that it represents a genuine first step towards the international regulation of PMSCs. More

ISN Blog
New Zealand as a US Partner in the Pacific?
18 Mar 2013

New Zealand's counterterrorism efforts and the US's pivot towards Asia have helped thaw relations between both countries. While this trend is encouraging, Edward Mortimer believes that there is still a long way to go before a burgeoning friendship becomes an actual alliance. More After the Arab Spring: Creating Economic Commons
19 Mar 2013

While the Arab Spring has led to genuine political reforms, Adeel Malik believes they will not endure without parallel economic change. The Arab world needs an 'economic commons' that incubates both entrepreneurship and growth. More Is the New DRC Peace Deal a Cause for Hope?
20 Mar 2013

Warring factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo recently signed the latest in a long line of peace agreements. Daniel Wigmore-Shepherd believes that given the track-record of previous agreements and the inherent weaknesses in this one, peace and security will not come to the DRC anytime soon. More Realism and Retrenchment
21 Mar 2013

As a response to its fiscal woes, many of America's foreign policy realists began to advocate the idea of strategic 'retrenchment'. According to William Rooke, some of the most prominent of them are now having second thoughts. They are 'doubling down' on the strategy that has long been in place. More Mediation Perspectives: The Roman Catholic Church in Dialogue with the World
22 Mar 2013

How does the Roman Catholic Church enter into dialogue with different religious faiths and the world at large? The CSS' Simon Mason uses the election of Pope Francis I as an opportunity to chart the decision-making processes that underpin the Church's mandate to dialogue with others. More

Video
Admiral Sir George Zambellas - A New Era in Maritime Security? In this Chatham House video, Admiral Sir George Zambellas outlines how maritime military operations will grow in importance in a post-ISAF world. More A Conversation on Realism In this video, George Friedman, founder and chairman of STRATFOR, and Robert Kaplan, his Chief Geopolitical Analyst, discuss the role of realism and morality in politics. More Breaking the Bonds between Al Qaeda and Its Affiliates In this Brookings Institution video, Dan Byman describes the 'franchising' of terrorist groups with al Qaeda and what steps must be taken to minimize this process from happening in the future. More

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