Publications

Solidarity with Ukraine in surviving a war of aggression must be accompanied by realism about the country’s ability to draw closer to EU membership. The sustainability of the accession process depends on straightforwardness about the hurdles posed by the Russian aggression and the domestic reform inertia.chevron_right

China appears to have growing concerns about Russia’s war in Ukraine. Although China is not prepared to abandon its partnership with Russia, Western leaders should aim to ensure that China’s support for Russia remains limited. They should also seek China’s support in dissuading Russia from using nuclear weapons.chevron_right

The topic of this issue is “Brain Drain from Russia after February 24th 2022”. Firstly, Ekaterina Vorobeva underlines the necessity to acknowledge the diversity of social groups forced into emigration by the “partial mobilization”; secondly, Daria Zakharova analyzes how Russian state-​run media have been treating emigrants; thirdly, Andrei Korobkov describes the formation of new migration flows marked by high shares of young people, males, and members of various elite groups; lastly, Maria Tysiachniouk and Arsenii Konnov focus on Russian civil society in exile in Georgia, determining activists’ categories, as well as analyzing their motivations and repertoire of collective action.chevron_right

The topic of this issue is “Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War on Black Sea Geopolitics”. Maksym Khylko and Hanna Shelest provide a view of Black Sea security from Ukraine; Armen Grigoryan explores the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Armenia; Anar Valiyev, Ahmad Alili and Fidan Namazova discuss the implications of the Russian invasion of Ukraine for Azerbaijan’s balancing foreign policy; finally, Bidzina Lebanidze and Salome Kandelaki unpack the Georgian views of the changing Black Sea security dynamics after the Russia-Ukraine war.chevron_right

Russian troops have launched attacks on Ukraine from Belarus. The Lukashenka regime is Putin’s closest ally, but their interests diverge. It is thus key to differentiate and read the erratic actions and rhetoric from Minsk as signals towards East, West, and South.chevron_right

The topic of this issue is War and Church. Firstly, Regina Elsner queries the reasons why religion plays such an important role in the Russo-​Ukrainian War of 2022 and why Orthodoxy cannot be expected to play a peacemaking role therein; secondly, Alexander Ponomariov focuses on two Ukrainian autocephalies: the newly established Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and the de-​facto one proclaimed by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, and predicts that the Ukrainian dioceses under Russian control are likely to move under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, with huge repercussions for Orthodox theopolitics.chevron_right

Seoul is heavily investing in its defense capabilities. While the current government emphasizes that the US-​South Korea alliance is central for the country’s security, the long-​term strategic challenge will be to balance carefully relations with the US, but also with China and other regional actors in an increasingly volatile security environment. Hence, the importance of global partnerships is growing.chevron_right

Against the backdrop of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia continues to modernize its nuclear forces. Nuclear weapons remain a central part of Moscow’s strategic arsenal, including as tools of coercion. While arms control initiatives are critical to mitigate the dangers associated with nuclear weapons, a credible nuclear deterrent on the part of NATO remains a prerequisite for their success.chevron_right

The increasing frequency and scale of climate-​exacerbated hazards require civil protection systems to adapt. Mitigation measures initiated following recent disasters in neighboring countries provide valuable lessons for Switzerland.chevron_right

This issue analyzes national and nationalist perspectives on Europe and the self-​positioning strategies of the South Caucasian states from historical and/or contemporary perspectives. Narek Sukiasyan’s case study on Armenia investigates the official discourse on Europe at the level of the heads of state since independence and public narratives interpreting the role of the EU; Najmin Kamilsoy and Anna Zamejc’s case study on Azerbaijan analyzes the growing disillusionment of civil society with the EU as a normative power; Nino Gozalishvili provides insights into how the European idea has been used in the mobilization strategies of far-​right political groups in Georgia.chevron_right

This issue analyzes national and nationalist perspectives on Europe and the self-​positioning strategies of the South Caucasian states from historical and/or contemporary perspectives. Narek Sukiasyan’s case study on Armenia investigates the official discourse on Europe at the level of the heads of state since independence and public narratives interpreting the role of the EU; Najmin Kamilsoy and Anna Zamejc’s case study on Azerbaijan analyzes the growing disillusionment of civil society with the EU as a normative power; Nino Gozalishvili provides insights into how the European idea has been used in the mobilization strategies of far-​right political groups in Georgia.chevron_right

In numerous intra-​state conflicts, societies are polarized along worldview divides and conflicting parties disagree over what kind of society and state they want to build. Such questions can deeply divide societies and block political processes and mediation efforts. This CSS Mediation Resources suggests a method for addressing such blockages by analyzing the principal challenges that can arise from worldview differences in conflicts and conflict transformation. In order to deal with these challenges, the authors propose a model of engagement they call the “mediation space” approach. The idea is to create a space where leaders of communities can come together across divides to address conflict issues, encouraging leaders to take constructive steps towards a peaceful solution that can be explained within the worldview of their community.chevron_right

This CSS Risk and Resilience Report analyzes the crisis management of the canton of Grisons during the coronavirus pandemic from the beginning of the international spread of the new virus until the lifting of the special situation by the Federal Council in April 2022. The focus of the evaluation is on the further development of the cantonal crisis organization with regard to the entire spectrum of threats in the canton and the cantonal cooperation with federal authorities and other cantons. The study makes 52 recommendations in the areas of crisis preparedness and crisis management specifically for the canton of Grisons, which should also be of interest to other cantons and the federal level, since the challenges are similar in many places.chevron_right

A partial technological decoupling of the United States and China is already under way. Switzerland will also feel the ripple effects.chevron_right

While formerly neutral, Sweden and Finland have jointly decided to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Finland’s accession in particular will impact the military balance in the Baltic-​Nordic theater of contention between Russia and the alliance. Joining NATO would be the culmination of a longer alignment process for Finland.chevron_right