Publications

In this CAD issue, Heiko Pleines looks at the reliability and significance of economy-related country rankings. He contends that the subjectivity of assessments, the validity of national statistics, data comparability and other factors all raise questions about such rankings. Nevertheless, they still play an important role in politics, business and media. Further, despite their limits, economic rankings also give some sense of the state of different national economies. The issue additionally includes documentation on the major economy-related country rankings and their evaluation of the countries of the South Caucasus.chevron_right

This issue of the Caucasus Analytical Digest offers an overview of the major economy-related country rankings and their evaluation of the three countries of the South Caucasus, with an introduction assessing the reliability and significance of economy-related country rankings.chevron_right

This edition of the Russian Analytical Digest looks at regulatory reform in Russia. Daniil Tsygankov outlines that the Russian economy suffers from excessive regulation. He argues that while promising plans to address this problem exist, the government lacks the political will to pursue them and has postponed this reform until the next political opening. If the political will were present, the author contends, the regulatory reform could be implemented within six months and contribute to Russia’s economic growth.chevron_right

This RAD edition considers the political implications of the recent establishment of an autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, independent from the Moscow Patriarchate. Firstly, Alexander Ponomariov addresses how the dispute between the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Moscow Patriarchate over Orthodoxy in Ukraine is reshaping religious and political boundaries and identities. Secondly, Regina Elsner examines the political entanglements and power struggles at play in the efforts to unify Orthodoxy in Ukraine and their potential influence on the relationships between the country’s different Orthodox churches in the years ahead.chevron_right

Despite moderate increases in their defense budgets, for most European states, the need to modernize main weapon systems and acquire future-proof high technology capabilities is a burden that continues to stretch their fiscal possibilities to the utmost. While forward-looking armaments policies cannot eliminate these deficits, they can lay the groundwork for tackling them successfully.chevron_right

India and Pakistan have been regional rivals ever since they achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. They compete militarily and economically and this regional rivalry has manifested itself through provocations, skirmishes and open conflicts. Both states have integrated new technologies in their strategies extending their regional rivalry to cyberspace. This Hotspot Analysis examines the dynamic of the India-Pakistan regional rivalry in cyberspace. Both states have developed cyber capabilities and are using them primarily to spy on the other. Cyberespionage campaigns seem often poorly coordinated and unsophisticated. However, the lack of sophistication in cybertools did not prevent advanced persistent threats likely sponsored by India or Pakistan from achieving their strategic goals. At a lower level, non-state actors such as hacktivists and patriotic hackers used cyberspace to promote their patriotic sentiments. Such actions increase the risk of misperceptions in cyberspace and escalation of the rivalry to physical conflict.chevron_right

Marie Baezner and Patrice Robin argue that while cyber sovereignty is regularly referenced in political, economic and legal discussions, the concept has no fixed definition. In response, and to highlight why using the term in the same way as strategic autonomy is a misnomer, our authors analyze references to cyber sovereignty in national cybersecurity strategies, current academic discussion and debates on sovereignty in other domains. Baezner and Robin also explore the similarly ill-defined concept of data sovereignty, outlining why control over data depends more on how it is stored than where.chevron_right

Smart cities need smart critical infrastructure protection. This means trusting technology to play a more substantial role in securing infrastructure for the resilient provision of critical services. Adapting to a future that includes artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things is a necessity, not a choice.chevron_right

This edition of the CSS' annual Bulletin includes chapters on 1) Switzerland’s engagement in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldavia; 2) predictive policing in Switzerland; 3) cyber security in Israel; and 4) the role of religion and conflict in Swiss peace policy. It also features an interview on Swiss security policy with Chief of the Armed Forces Philippe Rebord as well as three studies on responsible conduct in cyber space; arms procurement in European states; and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).chevron_right

This issue of the Caucasus Analytical Digest ranks Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia as well as the territories of Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia according to their political regime. While the first article gives a critical reflection on the validity of political regime-related country rankings, the second chapter ranks the countries by their political regime.chevron_right

This edition of the RAD analyses the reaction to the pension reforms announced in Russia earlier this year. Firstly, Martin Brand examines how protests against the reforms forced the government to engage in a public debate on the issue. Secondly, Elena Maltseva outlines how the Russian pension system has been transformed since the 1990s, noting that while there have been distinct periods of reform since then, all have been primarily driven by neoliberal economic advisers to the Russian government. Thirdly, Irina Meyer assesses the role of trade unions in organizing and leading the protests against the proposed reforms, suggesting that such trade union-led protests have little capacity to affect social policy in Russia.chevron_right

This CSS Policy Perspective highlights how terrorism and organized crime are increasingly indistinguishable. In response, they also argue that policymakers should direct their focus toward stabilizing insecure spaces in the West and the developing world. Only by devoting more attention to the so-called violent entrepreneurs operating in these areas, beyond the reach of law enforcement, the authors contend, can we begin to leverage the diplomatic, developmental, economic and policing tools that will be necessary to confront this threat.chevron_right

This CSS Policy Perspective highlights that one of the more sensitive topics in discussions on preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) has been the relationship between violent extremism and religion, and the implications for P/CVE programs. In response, our authors here offer five tips for Western governments for a religion-sensitive approach to P/CVE, which include the need to 1) engage with religious viewpoints; 2) address the context-specific social, economic and political drivers that influence extremist groups; 3) avoid linking religious identities and violence, and more.chevron_right

A return to nuclear arms control would be a sensible move at this point in time. However, this would require taking into account the differences between the Cold War era and the current day: The replacement of nuclear bipolarity by multipolarity and the linkage with non-nuclear military developments. Moreover, for the foreseeable future, there is little prospect of political leadership in arms control.chevron_right

The second version of the Hotspot Analysis on cyber and information warfare in the Ukrainian conflict reports on the cybertools, their targets, and actors involved in the Ukrainian conflict and their effects on society, the economy, technology and international relations. The goal of the Hotspot Analysis is to better understand the cyber-activities and events in the context of the Ukrainian conflict. This newest version includes an addendum covering the period from January 2017 to June 2018 that was not covered in the previous version. The addendum brings new insights on the events that happened during that period such as NotPetya and BadRabbit, on the cyberattack that targeted the Ukrainian power grid in 2016, new cybertools, malware and actors observed in Ukraine.chevron_right