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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

1 5 December 2014

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series asks how the US can liaise with Sunni militias against
ISIS; what roles Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) play in protecting a state's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ); how military
mission orders can be better adapted to defeat hybrid threats; whether US forward bases have protected Middle Eastern
energy supplies and security; and how the US and its allies can enhance their counter-WMD activities on the Korean
Peninsula. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW series, we look at how Arctic states can prevent the region from
becoming a pawn in outside conflicts; what is the future of 'big business' in Egypt; what India's 'Look East' policy means for
the European Union; why there's been an upsurge in political protests in emerging democracies; and what NYU's Mark
Galeotti thinks of Russia's turbulent 2014.

You Don't Win Hearts and Minds, You Rent Them Reigniting Sunni Tribes against ISIS
1 December 2014

How can the United States liaise more effectively with local Sunni militias against the so-called Islamic State? Clint Watts
recommends pursuing well-prepared negotiations, creating obvious incentives for potential partners and much more.
More

After Ukraine: Keeping the Arctic Stable

1 December 2014

How can Arctic states prevent the region from becoming a pawn in outside conflicts or domestic crises? Mikkel Runge
Olesen believes that the states must inject greater consistency and stability into their national Arctic strategies. More

Protecting the Exclusive Economic Zones Part I

2 December 2014

The Future of Big Business in the New Egypt

2 December 2014

Should major businesses in Egypt be worried about the government's plans to overhaul the private sector? Not
necessarily, says Amr Adly. While some state-business relations will be realigned to reflect the country's new political
realities, the vast majority of them will remain largely unaffected. More

Suicide Bombers and T-72s: Using Mission Orders to Defeat the Hybrid Threat
3 December 2014

How should US and allied military leaders better prepare their forces to deal with hybrid threats? Christopher and Jeffrey
Baldwin think they need to start operationalizing their mission orders across the spectrum of conflict. In fact, peacetime
exercises are a good place to start. More

Is Europe out in the Cold as Modi "Looks East, Links West"?

3 December 2014

How should the EU's new leaders interpret Narendra Modi's attempts to improve India's relations with the rest of Asia?
According to Shada Islam, Brussels should expect to wait a long time before New Delhi shifts its attention to improving
bilateral ties. More

A Permanent Infrastructure for Permanent War

4 December 2014

Does the US need to maintain scores of military bases across the Middle East? In fact, have they managed to safeguard
global oil supplies and regional security, as Washington believes? David Vine doesn't think so. He also believes that the
bases continue to sap US resources and stoke anti-American sentiments. More

Demagoguery & Violent Protests in Emerging Democracies

4 December 2014

Neil Thompson sees a link between the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and street demonstrations in Turkey, Venezuela and
beyond. To him, they're just the latest in a line of middle-income countries that are running into popular opposition against
their 'emerging' political systems. More

The Challenge of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Korean Peninsula

5 December 2014

The US and South Korea need to improve their ability to conduct counter-WMD missions on the Korean Peninsula, or so
argue Scott Daulton and Bill Shavce. Here are their recommendations, which include developing a holistic and commonly
held campaign plan for different stakeholders. More

Mark Galeotti on Russia's 'Turbulent' 2014

5 December 2014

How has Moscow's annexation of Crimea impacted the lives of ordinary Russians? Also, has the Ukraine crisis
dramatically changed perceptions of Vladimir Putin at home and abroad? Find the answers to these questions and more in
today's question and answer session with NYU's Mark Galeotti. More

// Blog
Book Review: The Violence of the Image: Photography and International Conflict, edited by Liam
Kennedy and Caitlin Patrick
1 December 2014

Does this new publication trace the unique contributions photojournalists have made to the documentation of wars and
violent conflicts? Alexis Bushnell thinks so. That's because the text features a mix of authors and the different approaches
they represent. More

Mexico's Low Point

2 December 2014

Enrique Pea Nieto's presidency is in a state of crisis. As Nathan Parish Flannery sees it, new allegations of corruption,
the disappearance of forty-three student teachers in the state of Guerrero and other problems are to blame. They're also
responsible for upending the president's careful attempts to reinvigorate the country's image. More

Frozen Donbas?
3 December 2014

Is the buildup of Russian heavy weaponry and combat troops in Ukraine's Donbas region a possible prelude to all-out
war? Not according to Balzs Jarbik. As he sees it, Moscow's actions are merely tactical. Their purpose is just to
reinforce existing rebel positions. More

Minimum Criteria for Sustainable Global Governance

4 December October 2014

How can global governance organizations overcome their perceived ineffectiveness and illegitimacy? Nayef Al-Rodhan
thinks that it's time for them to stop working on behalf of those states and groups of nations that already dominate the
international system. More

The New Nuance in Chinese Diplomacy

5 December 2014

Prior to November's APEC Summit, China proposed a raft of new initiatives. That certainly wasn't an accident, writes Peter
Drysdale. Beijing was keen to boost its international standing by unveiling what it believes will be a more mature and
nuanced approach to Chinese diplomacy. More

// Video

Project Sapphire 20 Years Later: Cooperative Threat Reduction and Lessons for the Future

In this video, five practitioners reminisce about Project Sapphire, a secret operation that involved the removal of 600
kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan in 1994. More

The Human Role in Autonomous Weapon Design and Deployment

In this video, Duke University's Mary Cummings discusses how the control systems of lethal drones and other weapons
systems are being designed, at least in theory, to reflect the right mix of human and computerized decision-making.
More

Mark Binskin on Australian Defense Forces

In this video, the head of the Australian Defense Force (ADF), Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, describes how a complex
and changing world is shaping Australia's future defense strategy and the ADF's modernization plans.More

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

Publications More
// Countering Nuclear Commodity Smuggling: A System of Systems More
// Russia's Hybrid Warfare More
// The Weaponization of Increasingly Autonomous Technologies More

Videos More
// The Impact of China's Military and Espionage Practices in Cyberspace
More
/Myriam
/
Dunn Cavelty on Security and Liberty in Cyberspace More
/Migration
/
from Developing and Conflict Regions into Europe More

Audio / Podcasts More

// The Terrorists Dilemma: Managing Violent Covert Organizations
More
// Foreign Aid, Militarization and Political Violence in Indonesia
More
// TTIP and the South Atlantic
More

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