ISN

ETH Zurich

//

International Relations and Security Networkwww.isn.ethz.ch

///

This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

02 06 February 2015

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series focuses on the so-called Islamic State's rising popularity
across South Asia; how China is using international law to exert its power and influence over the East and South China
Seas; what is the strategic rationale behind jihadi attacks on media outlets; what makes the US' "Joint Integrated Air and
Missile Defense: Vision 2020" such a timely and relevant document; and whether Japan's 'remilitarization' warrants
widespread concern. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW series, we look at Russia's demographic problems;
what to expect from Saudi Arabia's new king; the growing need to regulate nanotechnology; the role satellite imagery now
plays in tracking human rights abuses; and how military assistance is closely related to the recruiting of child soldiers.

The Call of the Islamic State Resonates across South Asia

02 February 2015

The so-called Islamic State's narrative of 'Islam under siege' is striking a chord with South Asia's disaffected Muslims.
That's bad news, says Animesh Roul, especially since a coordinated response against this hostile narrative isn't going to
appear anytime soon. More

Russian Demographics: The Perfect Storm

02 February 2015

Are you impressed by Russia's recent muscle-flexing? If so, you better add up the numbers, warn Joseph Chamie and
Barry Mirkin. As they see it, high mortality plus low fertility plus the large-scale emigration of educated elites equals a
'perfect storm' brewing on Russia's horizon. More

How China Exploits a Loophole in International Law in Pursuit of Hegemony in East Asia
03 February 2015

A New King for Saudi Arabia

03 February 2015

Rachel Bronson doesn't expect Saudi Arabia's new king, Salman bin Abdel Aziz al-Saud, to take the brave actions and
bold decisions his country needs. As a result, the country may be in store for a period of 'sclerotic stability' rather than
possible chaos and uncertainty. More

The Paris Attack: a Campaign and its Goals

04 February 2015

Brian Dodwell believes that jihadi attacks on journalists and media outlets are not just symptoms of moral outrage. They're
also the perfect tool for 1) inspiring follow-on action by adherents, 2) exacerbating social divides, and 3) provoking heavyhanded and counterproductive responses from host governments. More

From Markets to Terrorists: the Growing Need for Nano-governance

04 February 2015

Does the international community need to redouble its efforts to regulate the research and development of nano-enabled
products? Ioana Puscas thinks so. While nanotechnology is regarded as a 'silver bullet' for a host of security challenges,
there's growing concern over what might happen if it falls into the wrong hands. More

Seeing 2020: America's New Vision for Integrated Air and Missile Defense
05 February 2015

What makes the United States' new Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense: Vision 2020 document both timely and
relevant? The answer, according to Geoffrey Weiss, lies in its awareness of just how volatile our current strategic and
threat environments really are. More

We Saw What You Did - Satellites and Human Rights

05 February 2015

Satellite imagery is increasingly being used by human rights organizations to verify claims that would otherwise be difficult
to confirm. Yet, as our partners at IRIN remind us, not everyone is convinced that satellites should be instruments of
choice in the fight against human rights abuses. More

Japan-UK Ties and the Quiet Revolution in Japanese Foreign Policy

06 February 2015

Shinzo Abe's foreign policy has raised concerns about Japan's seeming remilitarization. For John Hemmings, these
concerns miss the point. Tokyo's growing confidence abroad and commitment to liberal internationalism now make it an
ideal partner for Britain and Europe. More

Using Military Assistance to Combat the Use of Child Soldiers

06 February 2015

Are we doing enough to prevent the use of child soldiers? Rachel Stohl and Shannon Dick have their doubts. While UN
resolutions and national legislation are a step in the right direction, they don't address the little stressed impact that military
assistance has on the recruiting of child combatants. More

// Blog
Between the EU and Russia: Opportunity or Dilemma for Serbia's OSCE Chairmanship?
02 February 2015

The success of Serbia's Chairmanship of the OSCE will depend on how it manages its relations with the EU and Russia,
writes Stephanie Liechtenstein. That's not going to be easy, especially given Belgrade's divided economic and political
loyalties between Brussels and Moscow. More

A Cold War Legacy: The Decline of Stealth

03 February 2015

Should the United States continue to invest heavily in stealth technology? Andrew Metrick has his doubts. That's because
improved countermeasures, including the rise of anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) networks, are eroding away the
advantages that stealth supposedly offers. More

Falling Oil Prices May Spell Disaster for President of Venezuela

04 February 2015

Plummeting oil prices have combined with simmering domestic tensions to throw Nicolas Maduro's administration into a
major crisis. Today, Chris Woody explains why the coup d'tat that the Venezuelan president has always warned against
is now possible. More

Palestine in the ICC: Game Changer for Peace Process?

05 February 2015

What impact will the Palestinian Authority's (PA) accession to the International Criminal Court have on the Middle East
peace process? Not much, write Hardeep Puri and Omar El Odakh, but it might provide the PA with greater leverage on
the international stage. More

Europe's Global Power Potential: Locked in the EU28's Defence Silos

06 February 2015

As Thomas Parker sees it, European countries need to break out of their 'defence silos' and create a truly integrated
military establishment. It's one way that the continent can regain the status of a bona fide world power, which it hasn't
been since the start of World War One. More

// Video

Strategic Deterrence in the Twenty-First Century

In this video, Admiral Cecil Haney, who heads US Strategic Command, stresses the continued importance of strategic
deterrence to the United States and then describes what it will probably look like in the near- to long-term. More

Reassessing Organized Crime in Mexico

In this video, Stratfor's Scott Stewart and Tristan Reed discuss how organized crime in Mexico is becoming increasingly
decentralized and what it might mean for the traditional cartel system in the country. More

Managing, Ending and Avoiding Wars in the Middle East

In this video, a mix of high-level experts and practitioners discuss the overall security situation in the Middle East and what
the US should do to prevent additional conflicts there.More

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

Publications More
// Addressing the Foreign Terrorist Fighters Phenomenon from a European Union Perspective More
// Elections and Peace in Africa: Perspectives for 2015
More
// Enabling or Evading? Germany in the Middle East
More

Videos More
// The Geopolitical Outlook
More
/The
/
Taliban More
/Venezuela's
/
Volatile Year Ahead More

Audio / Podcasts More

// Foreign Intervention in Africa: From the Cold War to the War on Terror
More
// Moving from Bad to Worse? Looking Back to 2014 and Implications for 2015
More
// Scorecard 2015: Kadri Liik on Russia More

Interact with us:

Contact us:

Disclaimer:

Unsubscribe:

International Relations and Security Network

ETH Zurich

Leonhardshalde 21, LEH

8092 Zurich

Switzerland

The
ISN is a service of the Center for Security
Studies (CSS) at the ETH
Zurich (Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology Zurich). Read the ISN

Disclaimer here.

If you would like to change or cancel your

newsletter subscription profile with us, please do
so here.

Tel: +41 44 632 07 57 / 40 25