Publications

In today’s featured publication, Paul Dibb analyzes Russia’s geopolitical ambitions, its military modernization efforts, the seeming threat it poses to the international and European security orders, and how the West should protect its interests from what is ultimately a bellicose and weak state.chevron_right

Too many security analyses are state-centric, argue Marc von Boemcken and his colleagues. What should be studied are the everyday security practices of dissimilar communities that abut up against each other. Indeed, that’s what our authors do in this text. They look at lower-level “perceptions of existential threat” in two countries that are almost always analyzed in geo-strategic terms.chevron_right

This paper provides recommendations on how the US might leverage its rapidly-growing energy assets to further its national security interests, particularly in relation to China and Russia. The key recommendations include...chevron_right

This report highlights the factors that are likely to shape how the transatlantic community uses sanctions as an instrument of policy. In particular, the text explores Europe’s growing faith in sanctions, the residual limits to the EU’s approach, and...chevron_right

This paper advocates an anti-Islamic State strategy that emphasizes 1) building coherent regional opposition groups from the bottom up; 2) increasing direct US military aid to these groups; 3) translating the US’ investment into diplomatic influence with key external actors; and 4) pursuing political settlements that are acceptable to all reconcilable groups.chevron_right

This paper contends that restoring order in Libya is now paramount, particularly because of irregular migration to Europe and the growing presence of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in the country. In response, the new unity government must try to impose its authority with the active support of international actors.chevron_right

This paper reminds us that implementing Security Sector Reform (SSR) faces many hurdles, including lack of technical capabilities, limited political will, societal tensions, and donors who ignore local contexts and try to impose their own agendas...chevron_right

Diese Studie versucht folgende Kernfragen zu beantworten: Wie hat die NATO seit 2014 ihre Verteidigungsplanung gegenüber Russland auf die veränderte Bedrohungslage nach der russischen Annexion der Kri...chevron_right

This report proposes a number of operational concepts and capabilities that could improve America's ability to defend itself against guided weapon salvos. The recommendations...chevron_right

Are you interested in the Russian military’s strategy and doctrine on information and cyber warfare? If so, this text is for you. It scrutinizes official Russian documents on the topics and then looks at several examples where concepts were operationalized at the national, regional and international levels.chevron_right

This report highlights the current trends in trade and investment between Germany and the Visegrád Group. Basically, the text’s author tries to answer the following question...chevron_right

This text contends that to shore up the weaknesses of his rule, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has launched a reconstruction program that he calls, familiarly enough, perestroika. By ideally transforming and streamlining the state system, Nazarbayev hopes to...chevron_right

Although the Minsk process has helped deescalate the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, this paper explains why not all of the agreement’s thirteen points have been implemented, including the creation of a stable ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the conflict zone. Given Russia’s culpability in these failures, the text’s authors argue that...chevron_right

This collection of background papers explores some of the thorniest problems mediators face in devising effective peace processes and resolving armed conflicts. The topics include 1) the role the UN plays in mediation; 2) the complex interplay between peace and justice; 3) the inclusion of women and civil society in peacemaking; 4) the normative frameworks in which mediators operate; and 5) the daunting tasks of implementing peace agreements.chevron_right

By adopting the perspective of a mediation practitioner, the author of this paper touts the utility of diaspora populations in facilitating peace processes. The case studies he uses to buttress his argument include...chevron_right