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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

28 March - 1 April 2016

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our first Security Watch (SW) series examines the United States proposed Places, not Bases strategy; how
complexity theory and developmental psychology can help the US succeed on the battlefield; how Big Data might enhance
defense intelligence analysis and its functions; the future of economic coercion; and the potential role of containment in
Eastern Europe. Then, in our second SW series, we look at the growing emphasis on connectivity warfare; the
challenges facing China's Belt and Road Initiative; Russias long-term view of international relations; ISISs military
doctrine and its alleged Baathist influences; and Indias renewed interest in the role it played in the First World War.

Making Places, Not Bases a Reality

28 March 2016

How can the United States compensate for the decreasing number of overseas military bases it has, especially those that
can support its combat aircraft? The answer, according to Michael Pietrucha, might come in the shape of a new strategy
Places, not Bases that capitalizes on existing facilities owned by allied and partner nations. More

Connectivity Wars: Weaponizing Interdependence

28 March 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, etc. Welcome to connectivity warfare, says Mark
Leonard, where you deliberately disrupt the interconnected infrastructure of the global economy. More

Complexity, Psychology, and Modern War

29 March 2016

Alexander Frank believes the US military should rely upon complexity theory and developmental psychology to understand
why its struggling to deal with complex conflicts. At a minimum, using these interpretive lenses will shake up how it
approaches modern war. More

The Challenges Facing China's Belt and Road Initiative

29 March 2016

So whats the current verdict on Xi Jingpings signature foreign policy initiative? Michal Meidan and Luke Patey arent
impressed. They see a grandiose and abstract wish list rather than a coherent blueprint for interconnected investments.
They also believe the project is fraught with multiple financial, political and security risks. More

Defense Intelligence Analysis in the Age of Big Data

30 March 2016

How will Big Data transform defense intelligence analysis and its functions? Paul Symon and Arzan Trapore believe it will
make it increasingly possible to automate labor-intensive tasks while also mastering new forms of analysis and
presentation. However, Big Datas utility will also have its limits. More

Russias World: Facing a Century of Instability

30 March 2016

Russia is a Europe apart, argues Andrew Monaghan. It sees itself caught up in an arc of crisis that puts it on a different
chronology than its neighbors and requires emergency measures that are tantamount to putting the country on a war
footing. The measures, by the way, wont be going away anytime soon. More

Diminishing Returns? The Future of Economic Coercion

31 March 2016

Well, are US financial sanctions powerful, easily imposed, and relatively painless? Further, have they become gamechangers in key disputes? According to Peter Feaver and Eric Lorber, Washington has enjoyed recent success with
economic statecraft, but it may well soon come back to haunt it. Here are the reasons why. More


The Military Doctrine of the Islamic State and the Limits of Baathist Influence
31 March 2016

Are the so-called Islamic States (IS) military successes in Syria and Iraq attributable to the large cadre of ex-Baathist
army officers within its ranks? Barak Barfi doesnt think so. By comparing three IS battles with past Baathist campaigns,
he confirms that IS military doctrine and methods are based on a hybrid of experiences. More

George Kennan, Containment, and the West's Current Russia Problem

1 April 2016

Containment has not been relegated to the dustbin of history, argues Matthew Rojansky. If anything, were in an era of
new containment where the ambitions of a bellicose Russia need to be checked. Before Western leaders go too far,
however, they should remember George Kennans subtle thoughts on the subject. More

India and the First World War

1 April 2016

India is slowly but surely revisiting the role it played in the First World War, writes Vipal Dutta. This can partly be explained
by 21st century imperatives, particularly New Delhis desire to reinforce its historical self-image as a net security provider
and a keeper of international peace. More

// Blog

Debating Drones: A Response to Michael Hayden

28 March 2016

David Cortright believes that Mike Hayden, the former Director of the CIA and NSA, is dead wrong. Drone warfare has not
been extremely precise, nor has it focused primarily on al Qaedas senior operational leaders. What it has done,
however, is spread hatred and fanned extremism.
More

Can Secretary-General Seal His Legacy at Humanitarian Summit?

29 March 2016

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is on a roll, says Michael Snyder. After facilitating successful negotiations on climate
change and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Ban is now seeking to lay the groundwork for a new paradigm in
the international aid system. Frankly, the timing couldnt be better.
More

Bemba: Condemned for Commanding a Rebellion

30 March 2016

The International Criminal Court recently found former Congolese Vice President and rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba
guilty of war crimes that were committed in the Central African Republic in 2002-2003. As Stephanie Wolters describes
today, Bembas trial broke new ground in several ways, including its focus on the use of sexual violence as a weapon of
war. More

The Emotional Amoral Egoism of States

31 March 2016

Does an enhanced awareness of the emotional amorality of states add complexity to our understanding of international
relations? Nayef Al-Rodhan believes so. This is especially true for theories that take rational and predictable behavior as a
given. More

The Paradox of EU Defence Policy

1 April 2016

According to Daniel Keohane, the EU remains ambivalent about pursuing a more active and effective defense policy.
Unfortunately, such disquiet guarantees the increasing irrelevance of the policy, limits the number of policy instruments
Brussels has available, and undermines the development of more comprehensive foreign policies in the future. More

// Video

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

Is Migration a Thriving Business?

In this video, ISS Ottilia Anna Maunganidze describes the complex dynamics that are behind Europe's current migration
crisis. Indeed, its important to remember that each migration journey is defined by the ethnicity, income level and country
of origin of the migrants, as well as by a highly responsive smuggling industry.
More

ISIS's Hunt for WMDs: Navigating the Nuclear Underworld

In this video, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist C J Chivers discusses the possibility of terrorist groups obtaining nuclear
materials, where such items might be obtained, and how the international community should respond if a terrorist group
were actually to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
More

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

Publications More
// Understanding Myanmar More
// Revisiting Switzerlands North Africa Program
More
// Recoilless Weapons More
// Burying Heads in Geneva Sands More
// The Real Star Wars: Improving Satellite Defences More
// China, the Yuan and the IMF: Double or Quits? More

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