Publications

This publication offers a comprehensive overview of perceptions of nuclear security risks in the wider Black Sea region. More specifically, the text’s authors examine 1) the evolution of the nuclear s...chevron_right

This publication provides an overview of the trends in international arms sales, based on SIPRI’s extensive Arms Industry Database. Key insights include 1) that the arms sales of the world’s 100 large...chevron_right

This edition of the Swiss Military Revue features six articles on assorted aspects of military power, three of which are in German, one in French and two in English. More specifically, the texts examine 1) NATO’s contemporary challenges in dealing with various security threats in Europe; 2) experiences and lessons from the Strategic Leadership Exercise, which the Swiss Federal Chancellery conducted in 2017; 3) the importance of cybersecurity in light of the security threats the development of artificial intelligence (AI) will generate; 4) a theoretical framework for the analysis of strategies employed during armed conflict; 5) the role of information in power politics; and 6) ethics in military public affairs.chevron_right

This edition considers the politics of culture in contemporary Russia. Firstly, Ulrich Schmid focuses on the reactions to the house arrest of acclaimed director Kirill Serebrennikov, arguing that the affair aptly illustrates the volatility of Russian cultural politics over the last ten years. Secondly, Peter Rollberg considers the contested legacy of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in Russia, outlining how Solzhenitsyn has become a useful authority legitimizing Putin’s statist agenda. Thirdly, Andrey Makarychev notes that, from a cultural standpoint, the strong Russian roots of the Estonian city of Narva represent an opportunity for, rather than a threat to the efforts aimed at Europeanization. This process, he suggests, provides a platform for Russian artists to perform on a European stage and reach an international audience.chevron_right

In this CAD issue, Heiko Pleines looks at the reliability and significance of economy-related country rankings. He contends that the subjectivity of assessments, the validity of national statistics, data comparability and other factors all raise questions about such rankings. Nevertheless, they still play an important role in politics, business and media. Further, despite their limits, economic rankings also give some sense of the state of different national economies. The issue additionally includes documentation on the major economy-related country rankings and their evaluation of the countries of the South Caucasus.chevron_right

This issue of the Caucasus Analytical Digest offers an overview of the major economy-related country rankings and their evaluation of the three countries of the South Caucasus, with an introduction assessing the reliability and significance of economy-related country rankings.chevron_right

In this study, Daniel Fiott analyses the armaments standardization approaches of the EU and NATO as well as policy initiatives in the domains of maritime information sharing and remotely piloted aircraft systems. In looking at other defense capability areas that may benefit from future policy initiatives on armaments standardization, Fiott points to military mobility, cyber defense and defense energy management as potential priority areas. He also makes recommendations on how European armaments standardization can be advanced in light of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF).chevron_right

This edition of the Russian Analytical Digest looks at regulatory reform in Russia. Daniil Tsygankov outlines that the Russian economy suffers from excessive regulation. He argues that while promising plans to address this problem exist, the government lacks the political will to pursue them and has postponed this reform until the next political opening. If the political will were present, the author contends, the regulatory reform could be implemented within six months and contribute to Russia’s economic growth.chevron_right

In this paper, Antonio Estella reflects on the future of the European Union and outlines possible scenarios on what the EU could look like in 2027. He argues that the EU's future will be determined by four major variables: 1) enlargement, 2) economic growth, 3) immigration, and 4) exit(s). Because three of these variables play against integration, Estella contends that the EU will definitely demonstrate a tendency towards disintegration within the next 10 years.chevron_right

This RAD edition considers the political implications of the recent establishment of an autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, independent from the Moscow Patriarchate. Firstly, Alexander Ponomariov addresses how the dispute between the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Moscow Patriarchate over Orthodoxy in Ukraine is reshaping religious and political boundaries and identities. Secondly, Regina Elsner examines the political entanglements and power struggles at play in the efforts to unify Orthodoxy in Ukraine and their potential influence on the relationships between the country’s different Orthodox churches in the years ahead.chevron_right

This publication examines how and why the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been expanding its role in the Horn of Africa. The text’s authors contend that the UAE’s motivations possibly lie in the strategic rivalries within the Gulf Cooperation Council concerning the region. This is important...chevron_right

The articles in this issue of the SSQ address 1) conventional deterrence and the Clausewitzian logic of war; 2) why the US requires better integration between nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence strate...chevron_right

This publication examines how Iran could handle the sanctions the US re-imposed on the country following Washington’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The paper also rev...chevron_right

This publication analyzes the threat of financial activity directed toward the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The text’s author describes the ways in which authorities and financi...chevron_right

Despite moderate increases in their defense budgets, for most European states, the need to modernize main weapon systems and acquire future-proof high technology capabilities is a burden that continues to stretch their fiscal possibilities to the utmost. While forward-looking armaments policies cannot eliminate these deficits, they can lay the groundwork for tackling them successfully.chevron_right