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The purpose of the Resources section of the CSS website is outreach - i.e., it features the analyses of CSS experts, external partners and like-minded institutions in order to promote dialogue on international relations and security-related issues. CSS Resources is the successor to the International Relations and Security Network (ISN).

CSS News

Survey Security 2023: slight majority for NATO rapprochement - more critical assessment of neutrality

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the future of Switzerland and the world has been viewed more pessimistically and neutrality more critically. The willing-ness to cooperate is increasing: a slight majority of the Swiss population calls for a rapprochement with NATO. Voters also want to strengthen the defense ca-pability. This is shown by the evaluations of the "Sicherheit 2023" survey, which is published by the Military Academy (MILAK) at ETH Zurich and the CSS at ETH Zurich.

The Promise and Peril of Wargaming

Wargaming can be a powerful tool for educating soldiers, developing military doctrine, and determining future investment strategies. However, wargaming also has real limitations: if misapplied, wargaming can reinforce bad assumptions and be used to justify unrealistic or faulty battle plans, argues Taylor Grossman in this CSS Analysis.

National Risk Assessments of Cross-​Border Risks

Kevin Kohler’s CSS Risk and Resilience Report provides a comparative analysis of national risk assessments. It compares the assessments made by nine European countries and Swiss Re respectively of five types of cross-​border risks: electricity supply shortage, nuclear accident, pandemic, severe space weather, and volcanic outbreak. Even though the selected countries have correlated risk profiles for these hazards, the report finds noteworthy differences in their estimated likelihood and impact.

Russia’s Footprint in Africa

Moscow’s presence on the African continent increased in the years preceding its invasion of Ukraine. Now, this presence is intimately linked to the war and to the resultant political and economic struggle, argue Charlotte Hirsbrunner and Niklas Masuhr in this CSS Analysis.

The “Rules-Based Order”: Conflicting Understandings

Advocacy for a rules-based order has come to define various foreign policies. What this concept entails remains vague, and significant differences in respective understandings persist. From the perspective of its proponents, part of the term’s utility may lie in its ambiguity. The question is whether the new terminology can contribute to a common understanding of the essential rules, norms, and institutions that should govern international relations, argues Boas Lieberherr in this CSS Analysis.

Featured Publications

Feb 2023 | Publications

Russian Analytical Digest No 292: The Value of Public Opinion Polls

This issue focuses on the methodological challenges of wartime polling. Denis Volkov engages with criticisms of Levada surveys. Bryn Rosenfeld answers four questions about wartime surveys. Jeremy Morris challenges the very existence of public opinion. Heiko Pleines introduces Discuss Data’s collection of open-​access raw opinion data. Anna Biriukova discusses wartime polling by Aleksei Navalny’s Anti-​Corruption Foundation. Elena Koneva and Alexander Chilingaryan highlight how the sociology of war is crucial for policymakers. Aleksei Minialo reflects on activist polling. Finally, Emil Kamalov, Ivetta Sergeeva, Margarita Zavadskaya, and Veronica Kostenko discuss their original panel survey data of the most recent wave of emigration.

Jan 2023 | Publications

No 131, Caucasus Analytical Digest: Informality and Informal Practices in the Time of COVID-19: The Case of Georgia

The topic of this issue is Informality and Informal Practices in the Time of COVID-​19: The Case of Georgia. Firstly, Irakli Korkia addresses corruption by analyzing 1) simplified state procurement procedures related to the healthcare sector and quarantine zones and 2) the vaccine deployment process; secondly, Rhiannon Segar discusses how informal forms of social capital have impacted the dissemination of information during the pandemic in the Georgian-​Armenian and Georgian-​Azerbaijani ethnic minority communities; thirdly, Tamar Tolordava underlines the importance of institutions (formal and informal) to help citizens learn about and internalize the new rules and restrictions important to defeating the pandemic.

Dec 2022 | Publications

Russian Analytical Digest No 290: Wagner Group

This edition focuses on the Wagner Group private military company. Firstly, Andreas Heinemann-​Grüder summarizes the development of Wagner since 2014/15, highlighting that it operates in coordination with Russian security agencies as a parallel or shadow army that can rarely be held accountable. Secondly, Stephen Aris considers how Wagner’s prominent, if not officially acknowledged, role in the offensive on Ukraine has accelerated a process of semi-​privatizing certain functions of state security.

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