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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

8 12 June 2015

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch
This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series examines China's new military strategy; the growth of
ungoverned spaces in a post-9/11 world; Canada's possible replacement of its CF-18 fighter aircraft; how Russia is using
the violence in Ukraine to drive a wedge between NATO members; and the problematic relationship between the African
Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC) and its Military Staff Committee (MSC). Then, in our second, more wideranging SW series, we look at how the US intelligence community might improve its analysis training; what the FIFA
corruption scandal tells us about American soft power; how the United Kingdom's future in the EU is now intertwined with
Scottish independence; whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) should take action against the so-called Islamic
State; and why China is unlikely to compromise regional economic integration in order to protect its interests in the South
China Sea.

Five Takeaways from China's Bold, New Military Strategy

8 June 2015

When it comes to China's new military strategy, which parts warrant close attention? Lauren Dickey and Stephen
Liszewski point to the PLA's continued duty to preserve the dominance of the Chinese Communist Party, the desire to
create a military that can fight and win wars, and three other major takeaways. More

Modernizing Analytical Training for the 21st Century

8 June 2015

Senior US intelligence leaders are starting to doubt whether 'experts' are the best forecasters of emerging risks. Regina
Joseph, however, has other culprits in mind. Familiar cultural and bureaucratic obstacles may be more to blame for the
foresight training and analysis problems intelligence agencies face today. More

The Losing War Against Ungoverned Spaces

9 June 2015

Football or Atolls? Why Football Matters More than Chinese Island Construction for World Politics
9 June 2015

Are the recent arrests of FIFA officials an empty distraction from more pressing geopolitical problems? Sunil Dasgupta
doesn't think so. He also thinks the arrests illustrate a key feature of American soft power i.e., the legal and diplomatic
leverage the country enjoys is attributable to its status as a major marketplace.
More

Canada's Fighter Aircraft: Threats and Priorities

10 June 2015

What factors will shape Canada's decision to replace its fleet of CF-18 fighters? Ernie Regehr thinks that Ottawa will have
to reconcile its military costs and needs with more pressing national security concerns, and the alternative contributions
the country makes to international security.More

A Tale of Two Exceptionalisms: The Future of the UK and its EU Membership after the Election
10 June 2015

Many Britons view the European Union (EU) as an obstacle to self-government. Today, Andrew Glencross explores how
this narrative has recently become intertwined with Scottish demands for independence. More

Putin's NATO: Reshaping the Political Space

11 June 2015

The ICC and ISIS: Be Careful What You Wish For

11 June 2015

Should the International Criminal Court (ICC) take action against the so-called Islamic State, as it has been widely asked
to do? Mark Kersten doesn't think so. He argues that any referral by the Security Council to the ICC would be disastrous
for international justice and the security of the Middle East. More

Towards a Functioning Military Staff Committee of the AU

12 June 2015

Is it time for the African Union to improve the flawed relationship between its Peace and Security Council (PSC) and
Military Staff Committee (MSC)? Hallelujah Lulie thinks so. After all, the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA)
can't function properly without its sub-components' cooperation. More

The South China Sea Dispute Rumbles On

12 June 2015

Neil Thompson believes that China would never willingly undercut regional economic integration in order to protect its
territorial interests in the South China Sea. What's changed, however, is that Beijing now believes it can fulfill these
interests without resorting to war. More

// Blog

Peacekeeping in Haiti: A Laboratory for Pacification in Rio de Janeiro?

8 June 2015

Has the prominent role played by Brazilian forces in MINUSTAH helped them develop the tactics they need to neutralize
the gangs operating in Rio's favelas? Actually, the reverse may be true, says Christoph Harig. The previous experiences
of Brazilian soldiers in Rio's slums may have prepared them for counter-gang operations in Haiti. More

Death from Above

9 June 2015

Chris Nelson believes that we should read Andrew Cockburn's new book Kill Chain as a cautionary tale. That's
because policymakers and military planners need to free themselves from the idea that technologies such as unmanned
aerial vehicles will transform the essence of war. More

'Parrhesia': The Radical Destruction of Impunity

10 June 2015

How should we speak truth to the powerful? Laurence McFalls and Mariella Pandolfi recommend embracing the approach
Michel Foucault describes as "parrhesia." As they see it, this individual ethos of confronting the powerful may be the only
realistic way to "slay the Hydra of [political] impunity. More

EU-Latin American Cooperation: An Affair of One?

11 June 2015

Ileana Daniela Serban believes that this week's EU-CELAC Summit is an opportunity to revitalize EU-Latin American
relations. Stronger ties will not only allow Brussels to consolidate its position as a global actor, it will also help it build a
genuine partnership with one of the world's most promising regions. More

Team UN, World Police: Why We Need an Emergency Peace Service

12 June 2015

Is it time for the United Nations to stand up an Emergency Peace Service? Peter Langille has no doubts. While the
Service would be costly, it could deter armed groups, prevent the escalation of volatile conflicts, and cut the size and
duration of UN peacekeeping operations. More

// Video

Ethics in US Foreign Policy: Spymaster Jack Devine on the CIA

In this video, CIA veteran Jack Devine argues that covert operations, rather than full-scale interventions, are the best way
to protect America's interests abroad. At the same time, he admits that the CIA is 'losing turf' to the US military and has
become too paramilitary since the US invaded Afghanistan. More

Zones of Islam: From Extremism to Turkey's Glen Movement

In this video, M Hakan Yavus describes 1) the different types of Islam that exist and the factors that have shaped them; 2)
the religion's history in Turkey, and 3) the current tensions in the country between social Islam, as represented by the
Glen movement, and political Islam, as embodied by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
More

Kremlinology Then and Now

In this video, Stratfor's Reva Bhalla and Lauren Goodrich discuss the concept of "Kremlinology" i.e., the ongoing
analysis of Russian power politics and the political ideologies of the country's top leaders. More

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

Publications More
// Silencing the Guns: Strengthening Governance to Prevent, Manage, and Resolve Conflicts in Africa More
// Cutting the Cloth: Ambition, Austerity and the Case for Rethinking UK Military More
// Border Security Challenges in the Grand Maghreb
More

Videos More
// Sovereignty, Identity, and Culture in East Asia: It's Not Just Nation-States
More
/Inklings
/
of Change in the Middle East More
/ESome
/
Strategic Lessons from the 'Forward Defence' EraMore

Audio / Podcasts More

// Islam and Turkey: From Muslim Democracy to Islamist Autocracy? More
// Saudi Arabia's Leadership Changes: Implications for Stability and Energy Markets
More
// ECFR's World in 30 Minutes: ISISMore

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