Publications

This paper highlights the pressing issues currently facing the G7. Among other challenges, they include 1) stimulating world economic growth; 2) resetting relations with Russia; and 3) buttressing up international security.chevron_right

This report explores the crisis that arose in Burundi when 1) President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would seek a third term in office; 2) the country’s July 2015 election failed to end the crisis, and 3) the election results led to the suppression of all civil opposition and a wave of targeted killings. The problem now...chevron_right

This report argues that seven years after the end of its civil war, Sri Lanka’s “democratic space” has reopened but is under strain, primarily because of powerful opposition forces, overlapping institutions and a weakened economy. The text’s authors additionally examine…chevron_right

This paper examines al-Qaeda’s “management” of the Iraqi tribal system during the Iraq War, most notably after the US-led surge in 2007, and the insights it provides on possibly degrading the effectiveness of the so-called Islamic State (IS). More specifically, the text’s author...chevron_right

This paper analyzes the Ukraine’s revised policy on national memory and gauges the impact it has had over the last year. The 2015 revision consisted of four parliamentary bills which focused primarily on...chevron_right

This paper briefly reviews the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which aspires to 1) improve connectivity across Pakistan with a network of infrastructure development projects, and 2) facilitate trade along an overland route that will eventually extend from China to the Indian Ocean. The text’s authors also examine the plan’s security dimensions and how it might impact Pakistan’s economic development.chevron_right

If you are under the delusion that Russia’s intelligence services are necessarily efficient and responsive, then Mark Galeotti is here to set you straight. Today, he confirms that they're as internally divided, distracted by bureaucratic turf wars, and capable of producing poor quality intelligence as their Western counterparts.chevron_right

This paper argues that the US’ current policy of propping up armed and “moderate” Syrian opposition groups with military hardware is ill-advised. Instead, the US should 1) take a region-by-region approach towards improving the capabilities of the groups it supports, and 2) put them operationally under a single chain-of-command.chevron_right

Why is the South Pacific region becoming strategically important to India? What advantages does the subcontinent enjoy over an expansionist China in the area? And why does Papua New Guinea loom large in New Delhi’s regional calculations? Here are Niranjan Chandrashekhar Oak’s responses.chevron_right

This brief 1) considers how tailored, well-designed aid programs can spread democracy in Africa, and 2) provides empirically-based advice on how to design the programs, which should ideally work throu...chevron_right

This particular issue of ACLED's Conflict Trends report analyzes 1) recent Oromia protests in Ethiopia; 2) the violence being perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen in Southeastern Nigeria; 3) a decline in ov...chevron_right

Ten major rivers flow from the Tibetan Plateau and provide water to more than 1.35 billion Asians, or 20% of the world’s population. And yes, demand for this water is soaring while Himalayan glaciers are rapidly melting. According to this backgrounder, this spells trouble unless the area’s nations cooperate more effectively on water management.chevron_right

With the Democratic and Republican Party conventions about to occur in the US, this backgrounder explores 1) the rationale behind these events, 2) how reliable they are in helping anticipate the foreign policies of presidential candidates; and 3) whether there will be any foreign policy controversies at the upcoming 2016 conventions.chevron_right

This brief analyzes “Saudi Vision 2030,” which is the Kingdom’s plan to reduce its long-term dependence on oil sales by cutting costs and diversifying its economy. In particular, the text’s authors discuss 1) how fluctuating oil prices finally nudged Saudi leaders to commit themselves to economic diversification; 2) how this planned adjustment may lead the country to reduce its arms imports in favor of more indigenous production; 3) why the Kingdom still does not wish to see a return to high oil prices; and 4) the main challenges facing Vision 2030, to include the repercussions which could occur should the plan fail.chevron_right

This paper contemplates why the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved. The text’s author specifically points a finger at the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan...chevron_right