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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

1014 August 2015

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series examines the potential radiological weapons threat
posed by Iran; the growing roles and responsibilities of the Indian Navy; how US forces should operate while under
persistent unmanned aerial surveillance; the success of the UN's Force Intervention Brigade in the Democratic Republic of
Congo; and the potential for Nordic-Baltic security cooperation. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW series, we
look at the Putin regime's calculated promotion of 'conservative values'; the effectiveness of the EULEX Mission to
Kosovo; the role of women in countering violent extremism; Morocco's ability to remain a bastion of economic and political
stability; and the lessons learned from Israel's most recent home front exercise.

Between the Fall and the Second Coming: Radiological Weapons & Iran's Un-Constrained Missile
Program
10 August 2015

Will the Joint Plan of Comprehensive Action (JCPOA) dramatically reduce the threat posed by Iran's ballistic missiles? Not
at all, says John Haines. Its terms & conditions hardly touch Tehran's conventional missile systems, thus giving the Islamic
Republic the time & space it needs to build up its radiological weapon capabilities. More

Potemkin Conservatism: An Ideological Tool of the Kremlin

10 August 2015

Witold Rodkiwiecz and Jadwiga Rogoa are convinced that Vladimir Putin's promotion of 'conservative values' has little to
do with upholding Russian traditions. On the contrary, it's just the latest 'political technology' developed by the Kremlin to
manipulate public opinion at home and abroad. More

Indian Navy Role in Yemen and Beyond Highlights Range of Objectives

11 August 2015

EULEX: A Mission in Need of Reform and With No End in Sight

11 August 2015

How effective has the EULEX Mission been in strengthening the Rule of Law in Kosovo? Salvador Llaudes and Francisco
Snchez Andrada's analysis points to mixed results. While the Mission has improved local law enforcement capabilities,
political interference and corruption within key institutions remains a serious problem. More

Operating in an Era of Persistent Unmanned Aerial Surveillance

12 August 2015

How should US military forces respond to the growing reliance by hostile non-state actors on unmanned aerial
surveillance? William Selby suggests a two-pronged approach that limits the massing of resources and favors distributed
operations by smaller maneuver elements. More

Women and Violent Extremism: A Growing Threat Demands Concerted Action

12 August 2015

The so-called Islamic State has developed a multi-layered and highly effective strategy to recruit female followers. In fact,
Fred Strasser believes it's an approach that policymakers must consider if they hope to understand the role gender plays
in countering violent extremism. More

Redefining Peacekeeping: The Force Intervention Brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
13 August 2015

Morocco's Progress is Slow, Shaky but Real

13 August 2015

How can Morocco preserve its status as one of North Africa's more prosperous and stable countries? Francis Ghils
believes that the country's patronage system should be replaced by a more modern approach to decision-making i.e.,
one that encourages greater social, economic and political dynamism. More

Potential for Nordic-Baltic Security Cooperation

14 August 2015

How are the threats posed by an increasingly assertive Russia shaping the security cooperation between the Nordic and
Baltic States? Christian Opitz detects a more problem-driven security partnership that's moving beyond being a forum of
exchange and becoming a shared framework for action. More

What Can Be Learned from the National Home Front Exercise?

14 August 2015

Meir Elran and Alex Altshuler believe there are seven important lessons Israel should learn from its most recent home
front exercise. Among them are the requirements for 1) better dialogue and understanding between coordinating bodies,
and 2) a comprehensive overview of local agencies and their preparedness. More

// Blog

The Breakdown of the Kachin Ceasefire and its Implications for Peace in Myanmar
10 August 2015

What does the collapse of Myanmar's ceasefire with Kachin separatists in 2011 reveal about the wider dynamics of the
country's ethnic conflicts? The answer, according to David Brenner, is that while business and development-focused
approaches to conflict resolution might buy temporary security, they hardly guarantee long-term peace. More

The Trouble with Japan's New Security Bills

11 August 2015

Shinzo Abe is struggling to convince his coalition partner and Japan's electorate that his new security bills make political
sense. Peter Drysdale thinks that's partly because the Japanese Prime Minister has failed to explain why the country's
security architecture needs changing. More

What's Eating Turkey? Ankara and the Islamic State

12 August 2015

What long-term strategic problems might prevent Turkey from fully engaging in the fight against the so-called Islamic
State? Buruk Kadercan points to 1) the foreign policy quagmire in Syria; 2) the political polarization between the AKP and
its 'secularist' opponents; and 3) renewed ethnic tensions between Turks and Kurds. More

Why Don't Defense Contractors Do Cyber?

13 August 2015

James Hasik blames bureaucratic inertia and cultural barriers for the general lack of interest defense contractors have in
the cyber security market. Only time will tell whether that's a net positive or negative for international and national security.
More

The Privatization of Space: When Things Go Wrong

14 August 2015

Is it time to assess the private sector's involvement in state-sponsored space programs? Nayef Al-Rodhan thinks so. After
all, governments and businesses not only answer to different groups of stakeholders, they also raise ambiguous questions
of accountability in the event of an accident. More

// Video

The Cost of Wars: Overseas Contingency Operations and Future Defense Spending

In this video, Amy Belasco and Marcus Weisgerber discuss the US Congress' continued funding of Overseas Contingency
Operations, which enables the Pentagon to ignore the spending caps imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act. They also
discuss what this budgetary loophole means for long-term defense planning in the US. More

Drones and Peacekeeping: The DRC and Beyond

In this video, Konstantin Kakaes and Walter Dorn discuss the UN's use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in
peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, both in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere.
More

Debating the Contemporary International Order

In this video, Fu Ying shares her observations on the US-led world order, China's current place within the system, and
how both countries want it to evolve in the future. Ying also talks about what the US, China and other countries should do
to deconflict global relations. More

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

Publications More
// Revisiting Counter-Terrorism Strategies in Pakistan: Opportunities and PitfallsMore
// Conservative Defence Policy: Five Knowns and Ten Unknowns More
// The Army Goes to School More

Videos More
// Cyber Risk Wednesday: Rethinking Commercial Espionage
More
/China's
/
Airpower from Fiery Cross ReefMore
/
/ Beyond Afghanistan's Dangerous Summer More

Audio / Podcasts More

// Empowering America: How Energy Abundance Can Strengthen US Global Leadership
More
// Men to Devils, Devils to Men: Japanese War Crimes and Chinese Justice
More
// Five Lessons from the Congo's InstabilityMore

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