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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

11 January 15 January 2016

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series examines the growing emphasis on connectivity warfare;
the difficulties of integrating Iraqi Kurdistans Peshmerga forces; the role of lethal autonomous systems in future warfare;
the reliance on professional military education as a hegemonic tool in U.S. international security policy; and BuddhistMuslim tensions in Asia. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW series, we consider whether Muslim countries are
more war-prone than others; what are the parallels between the Transnistrian and Ukrainian conflicts; the relative health of
the Schengen Agreement; the geopolitical implications of Korean unification; and the seven deadly sins committed by
those who analyze Russia.

Connectivity Wars: Weaponizing Interdependence

11 January 2016

When Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet in November 2015, Moscow halted fruit and vegetable imports from the
country, banned charter flights and the sale of package holidays, and more. Welcome to connectivity warfare, says Mark
Leonard, where you deliberately disrupt the interconnected infrastructure of the global economy. More

Are Muslim Countries More War-Prone than Others?

11 January 2016

Nils Petter Gleditsch and Ida Rudofson dont think so. Yes, in the post-Cold War era most conflicts have been civil wars
and a disproportionate number of them have occurred in Muslim countries. The lopsided number, however, is merely
proportional. It hasnt grown in absolute terms and here are the reasons why. More

Kurdistans Political Armies: The Challenge of Unifying the Peshmerga Forces

12 January 2016

Why has the Kurdistan Regional Government failed to unify peshmerga forces in the Kurdish portion of Iraq? Mario
Fumerton and Wladimir van Wilgenburg point to partisan factionalism, political patronage systems, the so-called Gorran
change movement, and the omnipresent Islamic State factor. More

The Transnistrian Conflict in the Context of the Ukrainian Crisis

12 January 2016

As Inessa Baban sees it, we should use Ukraines battle against pro-Russian separatists to help us understand the longsimmering conflict over Transnistria. After all, in both cases Moscow has used local proxies to create de facto statelets
that will serve its geopolitical ends. More

Lethal Autonomous Systems and the Future of Warfare

13 January 2016

Is the world about to experience a robotics revolution in military affairs? Will it be as significant as the introduction of
gunpowder, the leve en masse, and nuclear weapons? Daniel Sukman believes so. Its also why we need to develop a
greater understanding of autonomous weapon systems and how to use them properly. More

20 Years On: Rethinking Schengen

13 January 2016

As Roderick Parkes sees it, Europes Schengen system was initially designed to cope with a rapidly globalizing world.
Today, the continent faces yet another radical shift in the international environment, which means its time to adjust the
border scheme yet again. Establishing a Delayed Warning System is a good place to start. More

Professional Military Education as an Hegemonic Tool in US International Security Policy

14 January 2016

Solving Long Division: The Geopolitical Implications of Korean Unification

14 January 2016

As Patrick Cronin and others see it, Korean unification will yield a number of existential-level problems. For example, the
stakeholders involved will have to 1) resolve the status of the US-South Korea Alliance; 2) define the missions and
capabilities of the armed forces of a united Korea; 3) manage the existence or disposition of nuclear weapons, etc. More

The Rise of Buddhist-Muslim Conflict in Asia and Possibilities for Transformation

15 January 2016

Things aren't going well for Muslim minorities in Buddhist societies. Indeed, laws restricting religious conversion,
missionary activities, and interfaith marriage are proliferating. To avoid imminent violence and future radicalization, Iselin
Frydenlund thinks it's high time to pursue "religious peacebuilding." More

The Seven Deadly Sins of Russia Analysis

15 January 2016

Because the policymakers and experts who deal with Russia work in a high tempo environment, it's possible to learn
lessons that are not true. Today, Michael Kofman explores seven of them, including the belief that the Russian state is too
brittle to sustain aggressive foreign involvements or military operations for very long. More

// Blog
Russias New National Security Strategy: Familiar Themes, Gaudy Rhetoric
11 January 2016

As Mark Galeotti sees it, Russia's new national security strategy oozes with hostility towards the West. Beneath the
"gaudy patina," however, the document is less fearsome and more sensible than it appears. Indeed, the strategy is
essentially the same as its predecessor's. More

Interview Ivan Krastev

12 January 2016

Should the EU learn to live and cooperate with the Eurasian Union? What is the relative health of Brussels postmodernist
foreign policy? Finally, has the social contract between European elites and the continents citizenry collapsed? Find out
the answers to these questions and others in this interview with Ivan Krastev. More

The Strategist: The Work of an Unconventional Political Scientist

13 January 2016

Why is it uncommon for political scientists to write biographies? Is it because their community doesnt reward historical
particularity over theoretical generalization? Today, Jesus Velasco grapples with this question while reviewing
Bartholomew Sparrows profile of Brent Scowcroft. More

The Changing Face of Deadly Conflict

14 January 2016

Well, is the ongoing change a good news, bad news story? Gareth Evans believes so. Interstate violence has decreased,
as have wars and incidents of mass violence within states. In the last case, however, there is one exception: violence
perpetrated in the name of religion. In this instance, its time to go back to the drawing board. More

Book Review: Jerusalem: The Spatial Politics of a Divided Metropolis

15 January 2016

Do the authors of the above book provide an accessible introduction to this form of politics in Jerusalem? Kenny Schmitt
believes so, but with caveats. He worries, for example, that the text conveniently glosses over international efforts to
challenge Israel's dominance of this divided city. More

// Video

The Dangers of Alarmism

John Mueller is fed up with our alarmism and collective fear of terrorism. In this video, the noted political scientist
elaborates on his research into the post-9/11 security environment and exhorts us to calm down about the threats we face.

More

Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence

In this video, William Galston, E J Dione, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks discuss the latter's new book, "Not in God's Name:
Confronting Religious Violence." Among other things, the text describes how theology can play a central role in combating
religiously motivated violence and extremism. More

Crime, Kleptocracy, and Politics: Developments in Modern Russia

In this video, NYU's Mark Galeotti reminds us that when it comes to crime, politics and business in Russia "the dividing
lines are fairly hazy, distinctly porous and sometimes entirely meaningless." He also argues that kleptocracy as a quick,
catch-all label doesn't fully encapsulate the current political culture of the country.
More

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

Publications More
// Recoilless Weapons More
// Australia-China Cyber Relations in the Next Internet Era
More
// Fighting Islamic State: Getting Down To Root Causes More

Videos More
// What to Do About Syria More
/The
/
Nature of the Russian Threat to NATO More
/International
/
Norms in Cyberspace More

Audio / Podcasts More

// ECFRs World in 30 Minutes: Thirteen Trends for 2016
More
// America's Military Edge More
// The Impact of Drug Policies on the Environment More

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