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International Relations and Security Network www.isn.ethz.ch
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This Week at the ISN Our Weekly Content Roundup
13 17 October 2014 JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video
/// Security Watch
This week, our hard power-oriented Security Watch (SW) series asks how Indias intelligence agencies might deal with an
Islamist upsurge in the country; whether its time for the African Standby Force (ASF) to revise its operating model; why
defense budgets across the Asia-Pacific region are prioritizing sea power and coastal defense over airpower; whether Sun
Tzus The Art of War remains educationally useful; and what the Ukraine crisis tells us about the role of cyber operations
in ambiguous conflicts. Then, in our second and more wide-ranging SW series, we look at how the US might readjust its
approach to international relations; what might be the long-term effects of military operations against the Islamic State,
particularly in Syria; why its time for the EU to rejuvenate its external relations; how to get the best out of special envoys
engaged in high-stakes diplomatic missions; and how the West should respond to the growing popularity of political Islam
in the Middle East.
Unpacking India's Intelligence Agencies
13 October 2014
How have Indias intelligence agencies evolved since 1947 and how might they respond to al Qaedas recent call for an
Islamic revival within the country? Find out in todays Questions and Answers session with the CSSs Prem Mahadevan.
More
International Relations in a Time of Accelerating Dynamic Instability
13 October 2014
If the world has indeed entered an era of dynamic instability, how should the United States respond? Lawrence Husick
believes that Washington should reject realist or idealist approaches to international relations and pursue more rational
policies -- i.e., those that account for the influences of history and current events. More
Enhancing the Efficiency of the African Standby Force: The Case for a Shift to a Just-in-Time Rapid
Response Force
14 October 2014
Is it time for the African Standby Force (ASF) to revise its operating model? Cedric de Coning believes so. By transforming
itself from a standing readiness to a just-in-time force, the ASF would enhance the African Unions ability to deploy military,
law enforcement and civilian resources in its peace operations. More
Syria's Future and the War against ISIS
14 October 2014
How will the military campaign against ISIS affect Syria over the long-term? Murhaf J ouejati warns that unless Washington
actively trains, equips and politically accommodates moderate Syrian opposition forces, the greatest beneficiary of the
intervention could indeed be the Assad regime. More
Mind the Gap: Airpower in the Asia-Pacific Region
15 October 2014
Why are defense ministries across the Asia-Pacific region investing in sea power and coastal defense rather than
airpower? Paul Pryce thinks one possible reason, among others, is that the areas states have decided to cede air
superiority to China. More
Rebooting EU Foreign Policy
15 October 2014
As Nick Witney and others see it, the EUs external relations are marred by complacency and denial. Thats why Brussels
must act i.e., it needs to launch a comprehensive debate about its role in the world and then reboot its policies,
especially if it hopes to recapture its lost influence. More
Has the nature of war significantly changed over the past two millennia? Not according to Jacques Olivier. He believes
that the fundamentals of organized violence are no different today than when Sun Tzu first described them in his classic
The Art of War. More
Using Special Envoys in High-Stakes Conflict Diplomacy
16 October 2014
What steps should nation-states take to ensure their special envoys represent their interests well, particularly in high-
stakes conflict diplomacy? Princeton Lyman and Robert Beecroft recommend providing clear mandates, permitting envoys
to act beyond normal bureaucratic restrictions and more. More
The Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Cyber and Information Warfare in a Regional Context
17 October 2014
What lessons can we learn from Russias cyber and information campaigns against Ukraine? According to Tim Maurer
and Scott Janz, we should expect them to become more integrated, especially in hybrid conflicts, and we need to face
facts Russia has only revealed the tip of the iceberg when it comes to its cyber capabilities. More
Pragmatic Disengagement and Islamic Democracy
17 October 2014
Neil Thompson is convinced that the West should not involve itself in those states where political Islam is a major force. As
he sees it, religious groups should be left to expose their own shortcomings, which should then help revive the local spread
of democracy in the Middle East. More
/// Blog
Hong Kong is not Tiananmen
13 October 2014
Can China react to the protests in Hong Kong with the same level of impunity it enjoyed in the case of Tiananmen
Square? Jack Goldstone doesnt think so. Its far more difficult to impose news blackouts on whats happening today and
the protestors are far better organized than they were 25 years ago. More
Can Afghanistans Unity Government Be Built to Govern?
14 October 2014
The US-brokered power-sharing deal between Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah has pulled Afghanistan from the brink
of political disaster. Scott Smith warns, however, that its too early to tell if the agreement will provide the long-term
stability the country so desperately needs. More
World War I and the Transformation of the World
15 October 2014
The decline of Pax Britannica helped create the conditions for World War I and the eventual demise of five empires.
Today, Mac Owens warns that the relative retreat of American power may result in history partially repeating itself. More
Why Call of Duty May Not Help Us Predict Future Wars
16 October 2014
Do advanced video games such as Call of Duty prefigure the future of warfare? Not necessarily, says Adam Elkus. As he
sees it, games that merely reinforce the existing biases of Western defense communities are poor harbingers of things to
come. More
How (Not) To Write about African Wars
17 October 2014
How can media outlets be more balanced in their coverage of Africas conflicts? Andr-Michel Essoungou recommends 1)
providing more space for African voices, 2) refraining from using terms such as tribal to explain the sources of violence,
and 3) accounting for local socio-political conditions. More
Nothing New Under the Sun Tzu: Timeless Principles of the Operational Art of War
16 October 2014
/// Video
Understanding the Military Dimension of the US Rebalance to Asia
This video focuses on the military pillar of the US's pivot towards Asia. More specifically, it zeros in on how the US
Department of Defense plans to implement the pivot, how the rebalance will change the US military's footprint in the Asia-
Pacific region, and what the pivot will mean for Europes overall security. More
How the Global History of the 21st Century Might Actually Take Shape
In this video, three experts consider the trends and factors that could direct the course of the 21st century, including 1) the
role of the state and great powers in the international system, 2) the tensions between local and global forces, and 3) the
impact of specific issues such as climate change, water and energy security, and terrorism. More
Al-Qaeda in Africa: The New Frontiers of Islamist Extremism
In this video, Tobias Feakin examines how three terrorist groups in Africa al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, al Shabaab
and Boko Haram have increasingly aligned themselves with al Qaeda's ideology, methods, and tactics. He also
examines the threat posed by these groups to African countries and the wider international community. More
/// Multimedia Content
Here is a selection of this week's additions to the ISN Digital
Library:
Publications More
/ / / Justice in Transition in Yemen More
/ / / Security and Justice in Post-Revolution Libya: Where to Turn? More
/ / / Georgia and European Security in the Wake of the Ukraine Crisis More
Videos More
/ / / Conflict Trends in Somalia, CAR, Mali and the Wider Sahel More
/ / / The Theory and Practice of International Order More
/ / / Indias Role in the World: A Conversation with Shivshankar Menon More
Audio / Podcasts More
/ / / Understanding Latin American Politics More
/ / / The New Backdrop of Permanent War More
/ / / Peaceland: Conflict Resolution and the Everyday Politics of International Intervention More
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