Publications

According to this CSS Policy Perspective by Névine Schepers, the Open Skies Treaty requires coordinated and outspoken European support to ensure its survival following the US’ withdrawal announcement. While a US withdrawal may be inevitable, there is a small window of opportunity for western European parties to coordinate an appeal to the US highlighting the benefits of the treaty, and to continue to work together with Russia to resolve outstanding compliance issues. Yet, the European response has thus far been mostly led behind closed doors. A more public and united defense strategy is therefore needed.chevron_right

China’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, including its effort to shape the narrative, is likely to have major geopolitical implications. For China, the pandemic is a double-​edged sword. The gove...chevron_right

The health emergency and its economic consequences bear risks and opportunities for Europe's armed forces, argues Amos Dossi in this CSS Policy Perspective. On the one hand, there are short-​term interventions in specifications and budgets, on the other hand long-​term constructive impulses. Whether the armed forces will have to accept major cuts or gain legitimacy depends to a large extent on whether the interpretation of the current crisis takes place against the backdrop of a broad spectrum of realistic crisis scenarios. Such a perspective views the armed forces as the backbone of an integral crisis insurance, which favors subsidiary synergies without putting core military tasks at risk.chevron_right

This issue of the Caucasus Analytical Digest focuses on Public Opinion in Georgia: New Caucasus Barometer Results. Firstly, David Sichinava discusses the evolution of people’s attitudes towards conflict resolution in Georgia. Secondly, Rati Shubladze and Tamar Khoshtaria analyze trends and inconsistencies in popular support for democracy in Georgia. Thirdly, Dustin Gilbreath tackles the trajectory of trust in the most trusted institution in the country, the Orthodox Church of Georgia.chevron_right

The COVID-​19 pandemic shows that the Swiss crisis management is working to a large extent. Nevertheless, there are coordination problems with respect to data, communication and actors that should be resolved, argues Matthias Leese in this CSS Policy Perspective. Data exchange and data processing between municipalities, cantons and the federal government should be automated. To gain a better understanding of measures, standardized visualizations and clear communication would be helpful. Furthermore, the role of security actors should be clearly defined and actors should be provided with the appropriate resources.chevron_right

This edition of the RAD focus on social issues. First, Marina Khmelnitskaya examines how using policy ideas as a variable can help inform an understanding of policymaking and governance in Russia. By doing so, the author highlights how policymaking and governance varies between three state levels: the president, ministerial bureaucracy, and the regional and local levels. Second, Stanislav Klimovich and Ulla Pape look at how companies closely collaborate with state administrations in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Russia’s regions.chevron_right

The topic of this issue of the RAD is US–Russian Relations. More specifically, Alla Kassianova looks at US–Russia science cooperation; Pavel Luzin analyses the US–Russia space partnership; Oleg Anisimov, Robert Orttung, Kelsey Nyland, and Alexander Sergunin discuss the possibilities for US–Russian scientific cooperation in the Arctic, highlighting the success of the “Environmental Bilateral” agreement of 1972; and Tina Burrett focuses on reporting by four Russian-state-directed media outlets to answer the question of whether Russia sought to influence voting in the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 US presidential election.chevron_right

Sophie-Charlotte Fischer, Kevin Kohler and Andreas Wenger note that in the context of the global effort to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, digital technologies are taking on a role that is both visible and controversial. Nevertheless, our authors suggest that the reciprocal relationship between technology and society is often being ignored. Further, states apply digital technologies in very different ways when it comes to crisis management measures.chevron_right

Jean-Nicolas Bitter and Owen Frazer write that peacebuilders and policy-makers often accuse political elites of exploiting religion in conflicts for the purpose of achieving political objectives. However, our authors argue that diagnosing religion’s presence as ‘instrumentalization’ may be a barrier to conflict transformation.chevron_right

Matteo Bonfanti and Kevin Kohler write that artificial intelligence (AI) promises to change cybersecurity in the coming years. It will likely enhance both cyber offense and defense, and contribute to shaping the cyber threat landscape. Governing these changes is challenging, particularly for state-related actors. In response, such actors need to adopt adequate policy and normative frameworks.chevron_right

The annual survey "Sicherheit" evaluates trends in Swiss public opinion on foreign, security and defense policy issues. The 2020 edition finds the Swiss generally feel very secure, are optimistic about the country’s future and support Switzerland’s good offices. The Swiss also continue to show little willingness for their country to open up, with closer ties with institutions such as the EU or NATO only being popular with a small minority. The survey was conducted in January 2020, meaning it does not reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or the Crypto affair.chevron_right

This volume, edited by Andreas Wenger, Ursula Jasper and Myriam Dunn Cavelty, looks at the use of prediction at the intersection of politics and academia, and reflects upon the implications of future-oriented policy-making across different fields. More specifically, the text first explores different academic perspectives and contributions to future-oriented policy-making. The text then discusses the role of knowledge about the future in decision-making in different areas, such as climate, health, finance, biological and nuclear weapons, civil war, and crime.chevron_right

Categorized as a systemically relevant infrastructure, 5G is playing a crucial role for a wide range of technological innovations. The technological and geopolitical challenges that converge in this context require comprehensive solutions, argues Julian Kamasa. He further notes that the security debate surrounding 5G should be taken by actors like the EU as an incentive to analyze high-tech supply chains. This could also provide an opportunity for the EU to share experiences with like-minded actors and step up its multilateral cooperation.chevron_right

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of online mediation training courses. Interest in the topic has been gathering apace in recent years, driven by new opportunities offered by technology, cost considerations, and concerns about the ecological impact of aviation. In this paper, Inbal Ben-Ezer and Owen Frazer address this topic by looking at key issues peace mediation teams at ETH Zurich can consider when thinking about whether to develop online learning resources for their further education and professional training programs.chevron_right

The topic of this issue of the RAD is Russian Orthodoxy. First, Nikolay Mitrokhin discusses the strategy and tactics of the Russian Orthodox Church towards Ukraine since former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s attack on the church in the country under the Moscow Patriarchate. Second, Alexander Ponomariov looks at the international implications of the declaration of autocephaly, or independence, of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.chevron_right