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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

1923 October 2015

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series examines the contradictory messages that came out of
China's recent military parade; the EU's current counterterror activities; Egypt's Acquisition of the Mistral Amphibious
Assault Ship; Russia's growing military presence in Iraq; and the impact future operational environments may have on the
US Army's acquisition programs. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW series, we look at Azerbaijan's recent
downgrading by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI); the potential impact of India's growing Muslim
population; the diverse nature of today's global protests; how the UN's "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" hopes
to tackle organized crime; and the rise and fall of Tunisia's Ansar al-Sharia movement.

China's Parade: Mixed Messages

19 October 2015

With its vast array of anti-ship ballistic missiles and emphasis on Maoist thought, China's recent military parade echoed a
bygone era. However, by staging the event as it did, Alice Ekman and Eva Pejsova believe Beijing sent out decidedly
mixed messages about its status as a peaceful and progressive nation.More

Anti-Corruption Measures in the Energy Sector: EITI in Azerbaijan

19 October 2015

How will Azerbaijan respond to its downgraded rating by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)? That
remains to be seen, says Hannes Meissner, but given Baku's current view of itself as a privileged and rising regional
power, it may just shrug off EITI's corruption charges. More

We Saw It Coming: Jihadist Terrorism, Challenges for the European Union

20 October 2015

What do the European Union's members think about its counterterrorism efforts since the early 2000s? According to
Francesco Strazzari and Eva Magdalena Stambl, they should be more impressed than they are. Brussels has made
genuine progress in promoting a 'broad sectoral approach' to the terrorism problem. More

Rise of Minority Muslim Population Poses Challenge to India's Democracy

20 October 2015

India's Muslim population may well increase from 176 million to 310 million people over the coming decades. As Riaz
Hassan sees it, if New Delhi fails to manage this trend effectively, it could undermine its hard-won 'democratic credentials'.

More

Egypt's Acquisition of the Mistral Amphibious Assault Ship: An Operational Analysis

21 October 2015

Ben Ho Wan Beng doesn't think that Egypt will get the best out of its recently-purchased Mistral Amphibious Assault
Ships. In his view, the country's defense establishment lacks both the experience and technical expertise that's needed to
handle such a large and complex vessel. More

The Complexities of Global Protests

21 October 2015

Why do Thomas Carothers and Richard Youngs believe that the global protests we've seen recently aren't being
interpreted properly? Well, by characterizing them in overly sweeping ways, we may be overlooking their most striking
feature their sheer diversity.More

Iraq after Russian Intervention in Syria

22 October 2015

Organised Crime in the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development"

22 October 2015

Judith Vorrath and Marianne Beisheim think that the UN should approach its review of Sustainable Development Goal 16
(SDG 16) with caution. Indeed, cutting down its 'measurable results' indicators may compromise efforts to 1) combat
corruption and organized crime and 2) create synergies with other SDGs. More

Net Assessment: Threats to Future Army Acquisitions

23 October 2015

The United States Army recently identified six areas where its forces might be technologically overmatched in the future.
Today, Joel Lawton and Phillip Serpico examine how these potential asymmetries could impact the service's near-term
acquisition programs. More

Tunisian Salafism: The Rise and Fall of Ansar al-Sharia

23 October 2015

What steps should Tunisia take to ensure that the outlawed Islamist organization Ansar al-Sharia does not gain support
within the country? Christine Petr thinks that the government needs to buttress up its counterterrorism efforts by
addressing the grievances of Tunisia's youth. More

// Blog
The Rise of Diyanet: The Politicization of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs
19 October 2015

Turkey's State Directorate for Religious Affairs (Diyanet) is now firmly under the control of Recep Erdoan. According to
Svante Cornell, that means a government department that was set up to perform broad oversight functions has been
transformed into a super-sized bureaucracy that promotes Sunni Islam. More

Got Landpower?
20 October 2015

Will demands for the deployment of US ground forces grow in the years ahead? You bet, say David Barno and Nora
Bensahel. As things currently stand, the United States is the only country capable of deploying the land forces that are
needed to blunt the political thuggery of terrorists and hegemons alike. More

How Abe Is Losing the Narrative on Japan's New Security Laws

21 October 2015

Stephen Nagy is scratching his head. Japan's new security laws are extremely limited and face significant domestic
constraints, yet they're being described as a "Pandora's box" and the "unsheathing of a new Japanese sword." What's
going on here? Has Shinzo Abe indeed lost control of the narrative surrounding the new laws? More

Illegal Fishing in the Shadow of Piracy

22 October 2015

Is the illegal fishing that's occurring in Somali waters threatening the economic development of the Horn of Africa? Yusuf
Abdilahi Gulled has no doubts. Worse still, the international community's failure to respond to this growing problem could
result in a resurgence of maritime piracy. More

The CIA Battled the Kremlin with Books and Movies

22 October 2015

Like its Soviet counterparts, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) relied on literary and cultural programs to help fight
the Cold War. Today, Darien Cavanaugh traces the origins, evolution, and continuing impact of these soft power efforts.
More

// Video

The Asia-Pacific Power Balance: Beyond the US-China Narrative

In today's video, Chatham House's Xenia Wickett and John Nilsson-Wright discuss their report, "The Asia-Pacific Power
Balance," which examines the main narratives that exist in the US, China, India and Japan on how power is now
distributed across the Asia-Pacific region. More

Champions for a New Approach to Peacebuilding

In today's video, five foreign ministers and two UN officials focus on how the international community can strengthen its
responses to conflicts around the world, including adopting holistic approaches to maintaining peace. More

US Counterterrorism Efforts in Syria: A Winning Strategy?

Today's video features a US congressional joint subcommittee hearing on the Washington's current counterterrorism
strategy, its existing policy towards the war in Syria, and its troubled efforts to defeat the so-called Islamic State. More

// Multimedia Content
Here is a selection of this week's additions to the ISN Digital
Library:

Publications More
// Somaliland: The Strains of Success More
// Syrian Opposition Guide More
// Russian Ideology After Crimea More

Videos More
// Putinism at Home and Abroad with Vladimir Kara-Murza More
/Methamphetamine:
/
Focusing on the Problem, not the SymptomsMore
/
/ Turkey's Perfect Political Storm More

Audio / Podcasts More

// Digging for the Disappeared: Forensic Science after Atrocity
More
// The Future of NATO-Brazil Relations: How and Where They Can Operate
More
// Improving Humanitarian AidMore

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