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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

25 - 29 April 2016

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our first Security Watch (SW) series focuses on global military expenditures in 2015; the complex issues raised
by drone warfare; counter-extremism efforts in the Horn of Africa; EU-Chinese cooperation on peace and security; and
Somalias long march towards normalcy. Then, in our second SW series, we look at how a North Korean analyst hopes to
craft a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula; Ukraines status two years after the Maidan Revolution; the difficulties of

implementing the Paris Climate Agreement; the ongoing attempts to stabilize Syrias northern border; and the impact of
Euro-skeptics on the European Parliament and national governments.

Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2015

25 April 2016

SIPRIs analysts are justly celebrated for their statistical portraits of global military spending. In the following article, they
provide a comprehensive update on who spent what last year. Overall, global military expenditures topped $1.676 trillion
dollars in 2015, with the usual suspects the US, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UK leading the way. More

Replacing the Armistice Agreement with a Peace Accord on the Korean Peninsula
25 April 2016

If you want to know how a North Korean policy analyst views the Korean War and its aftermath, then Jong Nam Hyok is
your man. In the following piece, he argues that its high time for the US to abandon the armistice that has existed on the
peninsula for over 62 years and conclude a lasting peace agreement with Pyongyang. More

Drone Chic
26 April 2016

Caroline Kennedy-Pipe isnt keen on lethal drones. As she sees it, theyre not as precise as advertised, theyre no
substitute for an overarching and coherent national strategy, and theyre disheartening. Worse yet, they popularize the
delusion that the costs of organized violence can be deliberately modulated. More

Aftermath of the Maidan: Ukrainian Society Two Years after the Revolution
26 April 2016

So, what is the status of Ukraine after the Revolution of Dignity? Tadeuz Olszaski sees a bad news, good news story.
Corrupt politicians and oligarchs have undermined the quick modernization of the Ukrainian state, but the de-Sovietisation
of public consciousness has been profound and continues onward. More

Countering Violent Extremism: The Horn of Africa

27 April 2016

As Jos Luengo-Cabrera and Annelies Pauwels see it, the Horn of Africa remains a breeding ground for violent
extremism. In response, the areas stakeholders need to embrace the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) concept. For
CVE to work, however, it needs to be more evidence-based, regionally coordinated, and mindful of local dynamics. More

After the Paris Agreement

27 April 2016

Industrialized nations need to maintain the momentum generated by the Paris Climate Agreement, argue Susanne Drge
and Oliver Geden. In the case of the EU, that means 1) speeding up the legislation thats necessary to implement the
European Councils 2030 climate targets, and 2) expanding and strengthening cooperation with developing nations.
More

Enhancing EU-China Cooperation on Peace and Security

28 April 2016

Steps toward Stabilising Syrias Northern Border

28 April 2016

As the ICG sees it, the key protagonists in Northern Syria seem to agree on one thing only their interests are best
served by intensifying rather than deescalating the fighting. As the lone stakeholder with significant influence over Turkey
and the PKK-YPG, heres what the US should do to cajole them to the negotiating table. More

Somalia: A Long Road Ahead

29 April 2016

Rossella Marangio is sure that the security situation and the statebuilding process in Somalia have significantly improved
in recent years. However, the path towards stabilization and peace remains troubled, as illustrated by the incomplete
Somali Compact and the Somali governments Six Pillar program. More

Euro-Sceptics in Power: Integration-Critical Parties in the European Parliament and National

Governments
29 April 2016

The impact of Euro-sceptic parties is complex, observes Nicolai von Ondarza. Their impact on the legislative process in
the European Parliament and Council has been minimal, but the recent crumbling of the European consensus is limiting
the ability of national governments to compromise at the regional level. More

// Blog

United Nations Peacekeeping and the Use of Force

25 April 2016

Almost three years ago the UN sent a Force Intervention Brigade to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and gave it an
explicit mandate to neutralize armed groups. After reviewing its record, Dennis Tull is convinced that the brigade isnt a
model worth replicating and that peace enforcement mandates dont necessarily lead to greater success in peacekeeping.
More

Hidden Dangers: The Implications of the Global Health Security Agenda

26 April 2016

Recent international health policies and initiatives have been highly pragmatic i.e., theyve stressed the economic and
security dimensions of global health. Well, Laura Kanji worries thats not a wise move, particularly in the case of the
relatively new Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). Heres why. More

Russian Military Activity in Syria: March 15 April 18

27 April 2016

Dont be fooled, says Genevieve Casagrande. Since announcing its limited drawdown in Syria, Russia has reshaped its
military deployments and operations within the country. However, it has done so in ways that continue to bolster the Assad
regimes position both on the ground and at the negotiating table. Heres whats been going on.
More

Interview: Amitav Acharya

28 April 2016

In this interview, Amitav Acharya discusses the Wests domination of international relations studies; the virtues of other
approaches, including regional integration theory; the role non-Western countries played in building the global order after
World War II; and the relationship between scholarship and a Multiplex World. More

Wargaming in the Classroom: An Odyssey

29 April 2016

The fundamental question any classroom teacher should answer is how can I make this lesson both memorable and
effective? In the case of conflict-related subjects, James Laceys answer is wargames. Here, he talks about how he uses
them to help understand the decision-making behind multiple conflict scenarios.
More

// Video

In Europe's Shadow: Two Cold Wars and a Thirty-Year Journey through Romania and Beyond

In this evergreen video, prominent global analyst Robert Kaplan looks through the lens of one country Romania in
order to examine larger questions of geography, imperialism, the role of fate in international relations, and the forces that
will determine Europes future in the postmodern age.
More

European Union Global Strategy: A Military View

In this video, General Mikhail Kostarakos, who is the Chairman of the European Unions Military Committee, argues that
Brussels new global strategy should include a greater role for military power, albeit within a comprehensive and balanced
framework.
More

Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin

In this video, Fiona Hill, who is the co-author of Mr Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, 1) highlights the dangers of
misunderstanding Vladimir Putins political motives and objectives, and 2) dispels common misconceptions about his
hyper-personalized presidency
More

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

Publications More
// New Horizons and Internal Reforms: The Regional Implications of China's Military Posture More
// The Treatment of the Issue of Nuclear Disarmament since the Open-Ended Working Group in 2013
More
// Russias Military Operation in Syria: A New Stage More
// Asserting Statehood: Kazakhstan's Role in International Organizations More
// Context Matters: Perspectives on Challenges to Infrastructure Delivery
More
// Donor Accountability Reconsidered: Aid Allocation in the Age of Global Public Goods More

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