Publications

This brief analyzes the Permanent Court of Arbitration's (PCA) July 2016 ruling on China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. In particular, the text’s author examines 1) the arguments and evidence the PCA sifted through; 2) the post-decision options China has available, should it wish to continue its claims...chevron_right

American policymakers are worried that the Saudi government, the country’s charities and wealthy Saudi individuals continue to promote a fundamentalist version of Islam around the world. The author of this note, however, contends that this assessment tends to rely on findings and assumptions that are imprecise and out of date, and that...chevron_right

This brief does indeed examine the applicability of law enforcement techniques used against gang warfare in the US to the radicalization of individuals into Islamic terrorist groups. More specifically, the text features...chevron_right

This paper looks back at the Battle of Jutland in order to see if it holds any enduring lessons for us today. One conclusion the text’s author draws is...chevron_right

This paper reviews the evolution of Boko Haram from its inception up to the present. In particular, the text’s author discusses...chevron_right

In September 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would cut 300,000 troops from its roles, modernize its military equipment and reorganize its command s...chevron_right

The E-Note 1) reviews the history of Russia’s engagement with North Korea, and 2) traces how Moscow’s approach towards the Hermit Kingdom has changed in the wake of the 2013/2014 Ukraine crisis. Basic...chevron_right

This brief discusses the increasing use of hybrid warfare/nonlinear strategies by Russia and China. In particular, the brief’s author highlights 1) Russia's misrepresentation of deployed soldiers as local defense militias, which occurred in its annexation of Crimea in 2014; 2) the tactics used by such “militias”; and...chevron_right

This brief looks at the waning pro-Western sentiments of the Georgian people, which are being matched by a parallel rise in pro-Russian sentiments. The reorientation is seemingly due to recent shifts in the country’s politics and might be reversed by progressive electoral reforms.chevron_right

This commentary looks at the pending construction of military bases by China and Saudi Arabia in Djibouti. Its authors believe that neither the timing nor the confluence of these projects is coinciden...chevron_right

In response to North Korea's 6 January 2015 nuclear test and follow-on missile launch, the UN Security Council adopted UNSCR 2270, which includes the toughest sanctions yet against the country. This c...chevron_right

This commentary reviews the dispute between the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Apple, Inc over divulging the contents of a mobile device used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists, Sye...chevron_right

What are the seeming contradictions of conflicts that operate below the threshold of conventional warfare? As Hal Brands writes at fpri.org, there are at least eight of them, including that “gray zone...chevron_right

This brief ponders why France's President Hollande has remained silent on a possible Brexit from the EU and the negotiations that are presently underway between London and Brussels. The brief’s author...chevron_right

This paper looks back at the period between 1979 and the early 1990s in order to understand how the US went from being a tottering global power to becoming the world's only superpower. More specifically, the text ‘s author explores...chevron_right