Publications

How effective are specifically targeted sanctions in exerting diplomatic pressure? According to M D Jaeger, it’s still unclear whether sanctions against the financial and energy sectors contributed to the nuclear breakthrough with Iran. They may, however, convince Russia to back down over Ukraine.chevron_right

The Saudi-led air campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebellion has failed to have the desired effect, writes the CSS’ Roland Popp. As he sees it, only a ceasefire and negotiated settlement will put an end to the ongoing violence and prevent the further disintegration of an already fragmented state.chevron_right

This book discusses Integrative Simulations (i.e., IN-simulations) and how they can be used to train individuals, groups and organizations to improve their negotiation and mediation skills. Basically,...chevron_right

The latest edition of the CSS’ Caucasus Analytical Digest discusses the current state of civil society in the South Caucasus region. Among the topics covered are 1) the Georgian people’s attitudes towards domestic NGO activities; 2) the possible Gramscian nature of civil society in Azerbaijan; and 3) the diversification of civic activism in Armenia.chevron_right

This issue of the CSS’ Russian Analytical Digest looks at how Russia perceives US foreign policy, how it is trying to promote an alternative to US global dominance, and how it is finding common cause in this and other ambitions with far-right political parties in Europe, particularly in Hungary and Italy.chevron_right

Is NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) merely a symbolic reaction to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine or does it have genuine military value? Today, the CSS’ Martin Zapfe looks back into the Alliance’s flank-defending past in order to gauge the VJTF’s present ‘possibilities and limitations’.chevron_right

Did the recent Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) meet all of its objectives? The CSS’ Tim Prior and Florian Roth don’t think so. The resulting Framework Agreement did set long-term DRR targets, but setting up formal mechanisms to track their progress proved to be a ‘bridge too far’. You can blame politics for that.chevron_right

What steps should the EU take to prevent France from curtailing its support for the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)? The CSS’ Lisa Watanabe thinks that Brussels must 1) improve its rapid deployment and force generation capabilities, and 2) sharpen its pooling and sharing requirements.chevron_right

This paper highlights the insights gleaned from a March 2015 meeting on the religiously-inspired challenges to social cohesion and peace in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. More specifically, it looks...chevron_right

Religion and politics is the focus of the latest edition of the CSS’ Caucasus Analytical Digest. Rising Islamic activism in Azerbaijan, the role of religion in Georgia after the collapse of communism, and the Armenian Apostolic Church’s influence over civil society are among the issues that are discussed.chevron_right

Why has the Kremlin cracked down on organized political dissent in Russia? How should opponents of the Putin administration conduct themselves, especially given Russia’s ‘nationalist turn’? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the latest edition of the CSS’ Russian Analytical Digest.chevron_right

Yes or no – has Russia’s adventurism in Ukraine triggered a new Cold War between Russia and the West? Not according to the CSS’ Christian Nünlist and Oliver Thränert. Russia is no longer a global superpower and Europe is no longer the epicenter of a global struggle.chevron_right

Can existing international norms discourage direct military confrontations in space? The CSS’ Livio Pigoni has his doubts. Worse still, in the absence of innovative and long-term solutions to this and other problems, the threats in and from space will continue to grow.chevron_right

What’s the relationship between how public risks are communicated and how everyday people react to them? Also, what factors influence public interpretations of the risk-specific messages they receive? Find out in this edition of the CSS’ Risk and Resilience Report.chevron_right

How can states measure the resilience of their critical infrastructure (CI)? What indicators could form the basis of a Swiss strategy to protect its CI? And finally, can these indicators be bundled together to yield an overall measurement of a state’s hardiness? Find out in this edition of the CSS’ Risk and Resilience Report.chevron_right