Resources
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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).
Featured Publications
24 Jan 2020 | Publications
Russian Analytical Digest No 245: Russian YouthIn this issue of the RAD, Anna Sorokina and Valeria Kasamara first examine the values and attitudes of Russian students towards their home country as well as federal and regional political elites. They conclude that the majority of young Russian students describe themselves as the “Putin Generation” and perceive President Vladimir Putin as the ideal political leader of a nation-state. In the second article, Irina Meyer-Olimpieva posits that young people in Russia have similarly ambivalent attitudes to corruption to older generations and that Russian youth are also skeptical about public anticorruption initiatives.
Jan 2020 | Publications
OSCE Focus 2019: Building a Vision of the FutureAt the OSCE Focus 2019 conference, over 45 high-ranking participants from the OSCE community engaged in focused, open and frank discussion on the challenges and opportunities currently faced by the organization. This report summarizes key reflections made at the conference, including those dealing with 1) the implications of great power politics for the OSCE; 2) the work of the organization regarding the Ukraine crisis; 3) arms control, disarmament and confidence and security building measures; 4) the chairmanship of the OSCE; and 5) OSCE partnerships with other organizations and cooperative security.
Jan 2020 | Publications
The Israeli Unit 8200: An OSINT-based StudyThis publication looks at the Israel Defense Forces’ 8200 Unit, a signal intelligence (SIGINT) and decryption unit that has conducted intelligence, offensive and defensive operations across cyberspace. More specifically, the text’s author addresses the unit’s background, operations, organizational structure, internal culture and more. He finds that the unit’s core strengths include its human and financial resources, institutional capabilities, expertise, internal culture, branding, selection process and cooperation with the private sector. However, the unit suffers from various political controversies, bureaucratic encroachment, elitist tendencies, difficulties with former members and increasing political scrutiny.
Jan 2020 | Publications
A One-sided Affair: Japan and the People's Republic of China in CyberspaceIn this publication, Stefan Soesanto analyzes the cyber threat landscape regarding Japan and China, focusing on cyber incidents that spilled over into the political realm or had the potential to do so. More specifically, Soesanto looks at 1) the historical evolution of cybersecurity and defense policies in both countries; 2) relevant cyber incidents in which the countries targeted one another; 3) the various Japanese and Chinese teams connected to these incidents; 4) the social, economic, technical and international effects resulting from the cyber threat landscape, and more.
8 Jan 2020 | Publications
Total Competition: China’s Challenge in the South China SeaPatrick Cronin and Ryan Neuhard argue that China is waging a campaign of ‘total competition’ in the South China Sea. This campaign reflects George Kennan’s concept of “political warfare” and involves the use of all tools at the state’s disposal short of war. Indeed, the authors outline it includes illegitimate and destabilizing methods ordinarily avoided by benign competitors. They also suggest that because of its efforts, China now appears to be an unstoppable force in the South China Sea.
CSS Blog Network
Here is a selection of articles recently featured on our blog.
Europe Needs to Make Some Hard Choices in 2020
According to Zaki Laïdi, Europe finds itself in a situation where three major powers—the US, China and Russia—have an interest in weakening it. They may squeeze the EU in very different ways, but they share an essential hostility to its governance model. Laïdi contends that Europe does have the ability to respond, but it still needs to develop its monetary, industrial and military capacity to exercise its power.
Alliance Capabilities at 70: Achieving Agility for an Uncertain Future
Camille Grand and Matthew Gillis write that the future promises serious challenges for NATO’s capabilities, driven primarily by new and disruptive technology offering both opportunities and threats in defense applications. While the authors suggest that NATO has cause for optimism given how it has faced capability challenges in the past, the Alliance must still engage in a serious discussion to tackle how it can remain agile enough to maintain its technological edge.
The Ethical Upside to Artificial Intelligence
In this blog, Ray Reeves explores the possible benefits for the US military of designing principles that guide ethical choices for Artificial Intelligence. Such benefits include that building an ethical framework for AI could 1) help clarify and strengthen the military’s shared moral system; 2) allow AI to act as a moral adviser and provide feedback when the judgment of decision-makers becomes impaired; 3) maximize the utility of AI processing power to help ensure ethical decisions when human cognition is overwhelmed and 4) extend the time available to make ethical decisions.
Featured Organization
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) is a disaggregated conflict collection, analysis and crisis-mapping project. More specifically, the project collects information on the dates, actors, types of violence, locations and fatalities of all reported political violence and protest events across the developing world. ACLED also conducts analysis to describe and explore the information it gathers, tests conflict scenarios, and makes its data and analysis open to be used freely by the public.
