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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

17 21 November 2014

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series asks what we should expect from the UK's next Strategic
Defence and Security Review (SDSR); whether there are parallels between the rise of the so-called Islamic State and the
Axis Powers of World War II; what are the problems associated with entrusting national security to private military and
security companies; whether the US and Nordic states should enhance their defense-industrial cooperation; and what is
the best way to understand Asia as a single strategic space or a cluster of regional security complexes. Then, in our
second, more wide-ranging SW series, we consider the current state of relations between Bahrain and Iran; the
connection between Ebola virus outbreaks and civil war; the impact of Jordan Branch's work on cartography and
international politics; the economic and security implications of lower oil prices; and Russia's evolving grand strategy.

UK SDSR 2015: Same Ends, Less Means, New Ways?

17 November 2014

What should we expect from the UK's next Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR)? According to Ben Jones, the
word around Whitehall is that it will be a 'steady as she goes' review that largely maintains the strategic posture outlined in
SDSR 2010. More

Unequal Power, Unequal Reach: Reflecting on Iran-Bahrain Relations

17 November 2014

How can Bahrain stop Iran's almost constant meddling in its domestic affairs? Mitchell Belfer thinks Manama should
strengthen its alliances with international and regional partners, speed up much-needed political reforms, and develop a
media strategy that counters the rhetoric coming out of Tehran. More

Ghost in the (War) Machine

18 November 2014

Civil War and Ebola

18 November 2014

Is there a two-way connection between Ebola outbreaks and civil war? Tanisha Fazal thinks so. If the current crisis is
undermining the already precarious infrastructures of fragile, violence-prone states, and if past Ebola outbreaks are
anything to go by, then the nations now being assaulted by the virus are indeed headed for trouble. More

Privatizing Security
19 November 2014

What's the problem with entrusting national security to private military and security companies (PMSCs)? Lou Pingeot
reminds us that it's their limited scope. They tackle the symptoms of war and insecurity, which means that higher-level
problems inevitably get neglected. More

Jordan Branch on Google Maps, State Formation, and the International Politics of Cartography
19 November 2014

How do cartography and international politics shape each other? What impact might digital mapping soon have on the
governing of political spaces? The answers to these and similar questions appear in today's Theory Talk with Jordan
Branch. More

U.S.-Nordic Defense Industry Cooperation: Adding Value to the Transatlantic Partnership

20 November 2014

Should Europe's Nordic countries forge a stronger defense-industrial partnership with the United States? Michael Mohr and Erik Brattberg
believe so. Closer ties will strengthen Nordic-Baltic defense capabilities, boost regional energy security and enhance the overall security of
the Arctic and the rest of Europe. More

The Drop in Oil Prices: Economic and Strategic Implications

20 November 2014

If oil prices continue to spiral downward, what will be the economic and strategic results? Not too bad, says Gawdat
Bahgat. Consumers will benefit at the expense of producers and, perhaps more controversially, the 'oil for security'
bargain crafted between Western powers and Middle Eastern suppliers will remain intact. More

What Is Asia? A Security Debate between Alfred Mahan and Barry Buzan
21 November 2014

Is Asia best understood as a single, unified strategic space or a cluster of distinct regional security complexes? Sunil
Dasgupta argues that while the latter view remains more accurate at present, Chinese and American security policies are
making 'one Asia' a burgeoning reality. More

Kremlinology 2.0: Deconstructing Russian Grand Strategy

21 November 2014

How has Russia's grand strategy evolved during Vladimir Putin's second term as President? Samir Tata thinks the
evolution is a partial one. Moscow now accepts the realities of an increasingly multipolar world, but it's also hell bent on
preserving what it sees as its vital spheres of influence. More

// Blog
The Cold War Offset Strategy: Origins and Relevance
17 November 2014

Should we be surprised that the US is revisiting the lessons learned from its Cold War Offset Strategy? Not at all, says
Robert Tomes. Pursuing a technology-oriented approach will help Washington close existing gaps in its defense strategy,
in its innovation and acquisition efforts, and in its long-range planning. More

Five Minutes with Robert O. Keohane

18 November 2014

Is the type of global governance practiced by the likes of the United Nations genuinely democratic? Is a new era of global
democracy just around the corner? Find out the answers to these questions in today's Q&A session with Robert Keohane.
More

Debating the Future of the German Arms Industry, Again

19 November 2014

The German defense industry is known for receiving preferential treatment from the state, including benefiting from
'relaxed' arms export policies. That's all about to change, says Michael Brzoska. As he sees it, these two pillars of
government support are now starting to crumble. More

The Foreign Policy Essay: The Fault Lines in China's New Empire
20 November 2014

Will Xi Jinping's 'China Dream' rejuvenate political and economic relations inside the country and with the rest of the
world? Not according to Elizabeth Economy. If anything, his attempts to transform China are encountering the type of
resistance that could limit Beijing's influence in the years ahead. More

Order and Change in Global Politics: Assessing the "Return of Geopolitics"

21 November 2014

How can Georg Hegel's work help clarify contemporary debates about foreign policy and geopolitics? Roberto Orsi thinks
that the German philosopher's dialectical methods are more useful than the 'stale' historical approaches used by Francis
Fukuyama and others. More

// Video

Henry A Kissinger on the Cold War

In this video, Henry Kissinger reflects on his personal experiences as a senior foreign policy actor in the Cold War. He
particularly dwells on 1) the seeming inevitability of the 'war', 2) the defining role nuclear weapons played within it, 3)
Leonid Brezhnev's foreign policy, as seen from a Soviet perspective, 4) the impact of dtente on US-Russian relations,
and more. More

Venezuela, Brazil and US National Security

In this video, Jos Crdenas discusses the possible consequences of Brazil's 2014 Presidential elections and the
selection of Venezuela to a rotating seat on the UN Security Council. More

NATO: A Unique Alliance with a Clear Course

In this video, NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg sets out three priorities for NATO in the future. They include
keeping the Alliance strong, working with its partners to stabilize its near-abroad, and keeping the bond between Europe
and North America "rock solid." More

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

Publications More
// Reforming Tunisia's Troubled Security Sector More
// Handgun Ownership and Armed Violence in the Western Balkans More
// Maneuvering the Islamist-Secularist Divide in the Arab World More

Videos More
// Historical Origins of the Ukraine Crisis
More
/Cyber
/
Risk Wednesday: NATO's Cyber Defense Mission and Capabilities More
/Moving
/
Forward: Challenges and Opportunities in an Interconnected World More

Audio / Podcasts More

// Asia-Pacific: The Priority of China's Foreign Policy
More
// South Africa's Economic Diplomacy in Asia and the Middle East
More
// Stability and Human Rights in Nigeria
More

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