Publications

This brief outlines the lessons learned during a series of workshops held in the spring of 2016 with border officials from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The workshops relied on an operations-driven method to develop a joint strategic vision for...chevron_right

This report explores Uganda’s domestic politics and foreign policy, particularly in light of Yoweri Museveni’s controversial electoral victory in the country’s February 2016 presidential election. The text specifically argues that a large proportion of Uganda’s...chevron_right

This report focuses on the links between corruption and state fragility. In particular, the text’s author explores 1) how corruption makes states brittle; and 2) why efforts by the US and other developed countries have failed to have much of an impact on...chevron_right

This report, which is based on sixty interviews with informal security actors and stakeholders operating in the Nigerian states of Plateau, Kaduna, and Kano, looks at the nature of these actors; the structures they operate in; their recruitment and...chevron_right

This commentary contends that changes in the international environment and growing concerns about internal stability have prompted the Aliyev regime in Azerbaijan to establish closer relations with Russia and open up its cooperation with Iran. The text’s author...chevron_right

This brief assesses the 8 August 2016 bomb blast in Quetta, which is the capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan province. After reviewing recent terrorist trends in the region, the text’s author concludes that the province’s lawyers have indeed become a target of militant groups, which have shifted their focus towards softer targets.chevron_right

This paper examines the Turkish government’s mass arrests and layoffs in the wake of the failed July 2016 military coup. According to the author, 1) the sweeping crackdown is part of a larger effort by President Erdogan to expel...chevron_right

This backgrounder provides an update on the global status of Malaria, which remains one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. The text’s author specifically lays out the nature of the disease and where it most commonly occurs; 2) how the US managed to...chevron_right

This paper contends that despite the long shadow cast by the Syrian crisis immediately next door, Lebanon has managed to remain precariously stable. Its shaky resilience is attributable to 1) the high opportunity costs of letting the state disintegrate, and...chevron_right

This briefing first analyzes the factors that almost guarantee extreme Islamic militarism will remain a formidable long-term problem in the MENA region. It then examines the attitude of Saudi Arabia towards...chevron_right

This AJCR issue focuses on the ethnic and ethical dimensions of leadership and how they’re linked to initiating and resolving conflict. The individual articles focus on 1) Kenya’s experiences with democratic institutional reforms as part of its peace and reconciliation efforts; 2) the relationship between religion, ethnicity and violence in Nigeria, and more.chevron_right

This paper explores how Poland is trying to adjust to the European Commission’s latest plan (March 2016) to implement an EU-wide low-carbon development strategy. While analyzing this topic, the text’s author briefly summarizes the EU strategy and worries that...chevron_right

This polemic places France’s controversial ban of the so-called Burkini within the country’s cultural context as well as a larger global one. The paper’s author ultimately concludes that the ban violates an individual’s right to practice their religion freely and also trespasses on women’s rights.chevron_right

This paper speculates on how Yemen’s health system might be rebuilt once the fighting subsides in the country. With the help of the Yemeni diaspora, the rehabilitation should seemingly concentrate on four areas...chevron_right

Despite the initial optimism that the government of Somalia could establish a new ‘one person, one vote’ election process by 2016, the initiative has languished. This paper explains the reasons why and recommends options on how the nation’s stakeholders can get the process back on track.chevron_right