Publications

This policy insight argues that while South Africa has done a fairly decent job of supporting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at difficult points since the 1990s, the assistance model it has pursued hasn’t met the demands of strategic state and institution building. That’s attributable not only to…chevron_right

What danger does Russia’s intervention in Syria pose to the non-Jihadist rebel units operating in the country’s south? As this commentary sees it, they stand to lose their struggle against hardline Islamists. That’s why it’s time for a rethink on how to empower the moderate ‘Southern Front’, ideally to…chevron_right

According to this commentary, The Syrian regime’s strategy of using sieges and bombardments to regain rebel-held areas is also enabling it to eliminate alternative, civil society-based governance structures that have arisen to meet local needs. The problem, according to the text’s authors, is that marginalizing…chevron_right

This paper looks at the predicament Syrian rebels now face in Aleppo and how they might forgo the support of extremist Jihadi groups. The text’s authors specifically contend that if a political process were to begin over the disposition of rebel forces in...chevron_right

This text focuses on how to stimulate the global march towards nuclear disarmament, primarily by creating regional nuclear-weapons free zones or implementing various forms of nuclear arms control. The specific issues discussed include 1) the optimal conditions for nuclear disarmament; 2) the impact of humanitarian initiatives on nuclear arms control; 3) the complicating effects of missile defense, and much more.chevron_right

This paper explores 1) how Turkey’s policies in the Western Balkans has evolved since the end of the Cold War; 2) whether Ankara’s involvement in the region has enhanced its political-economic leverage; and 3) how Turkey’s policies...chevron_right

This article reviews how Georgia and the breakaway region of Abkhazia were affected by the 2015-2016 diplomatic fallout between Russia and Turkey. The text’s authors ultimately conclude that 1) the crisis seriously stressed Abkhazia’s ties with...chevron_right

The 'deoligarchisation' of Ukraine isn’t going well, argues the author of this text. The two-part truth is that 1) the country’s ruling elite has made the corruption problem even worse, and 2) Ukraine will not be able to reform itself without the overt support of external actors.chevron_right

This paper analyzes the ongoing discussion on the importance of “negative emissions” as a complement to conventional climate protection measures. The text’s authors specifically focus on 1) the growing reliance on bioenergy use; 2) the depositing and storage of...chevron_right

When contemplating stabilization missions sanctioned by the UN Security Council, just what do we mean by “stabilization”? Since no consensus exists on how to define the term, both in theory and practice, this report proposes a clear and limited definition that distinguishes stabilization from other peacekeeping objectives.chevron_right

This paper clarifies the relationship between machine autonomy, lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), and the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. The text’s author specifically looks at 1) existing concepts of autonomy and how they...chevron_right

This SIPRI Fact Sheet lists the Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies in 2015 and describes the international arms sales trends that unfolded during the year. Although there was a slight decrease in arms sales revenues when compared to the previous year, profits were still 37 per cent higher than in 2002, when SIPRI began recording such data.chevron_right

This synopsis of SIPRI’s yearbook highlights the data and state-of-the-art analyses performed by a slew of experts, particularly on the following topics: world military expenditures, international arms transfers…chevron_right

This paper does indeed look at the ‘innovation ecosystem’ of lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), with a particular emphasis on what these improvements might mean for the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). While exploring this...chevron_right

The 14 articles in this issue of Perspectives on Terrorism focus on 1) the future of jihadism in Europe; 2) European extremists and the new crime-terror nexus; 3) the tactical use of single-actor terrorists by the so-called Islamic State; 4) the role of governance networks in blunting violent extremism, and much more.chevron_right