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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

16 - 20 May 2016

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our first Security Watch (SW) series focuses on the seven principles of strategizing that NATO needs to
remember; the arguable existence of environmentally-driven conflicts; the current challenges that exist to American power;
the costs of modern-day violence; and the nationalist propaganda surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Then, in
our second SW series, we look at Chinas new Arab Policy in the Middle East; the effectiveness of governance aid in
Africa; the warp and woof of a US cyber-based offset strategy against China; energy security and the OSCE; and the
current foreign policies of African states.

Rethinking Strategy: NATO and the Warsaw Summit

16 May 2016

According to Christopher Coker, strategizing is particularly difficult in pluralistic alliances that suffer from limited
consensus, conflicting interests and uncertain agendas. Thats why if NATO hopes to update its 2010 Strategic Concept
anytime soon, it better keep seven fundamental tenets of strategic thinking in mind. More

Chinas Evolving Middle East Role

16 May 2016

Xi Jinpings new Arab Policy is a proactive one. While its primarily designed to 1) create and consolidate local
partnerships, and 2) leverage China's trade, energy, and infrastructure investments, Cesar Castilla believes it will almost
certainly drag Beijing into the geopolitics and cleavages of the region. More

Environmental Conflict: A Misnomer?

17 May 2016

Assessing Effectiveness of Governance Aid in Africa

17 May 2016

Does national-level democratization benefit from external aid? While studies confirm a positive relationship between the
two, open questions remain. For example, what are the defining features of a successful democracy promotion campaign?
Why do similar countries reap different results? Read on for Ashley Morans answers. More

American Power Under Challenge: Masters of Mankind

18 May 2016

Well, we havent featured Noam Chomsky for a while. Here, he zeros in on the masters of mankind who are dedicated, in
good Stalinist style, to preserving their own power. However, the US-led neoliberal assault hasnt gone unanswered. It
has triggered stiff counter-responses in East Asia, Eastern Europe and the Islamic world. More

A Cyber-Information Operations Offset Strategy for Countering the Surge of Chinese Power
18 May 2016

Advocates of a third offset strategy against China have argued that the US should concentrate on maintaining or widening
its existing military advantages. Thats a mistake, says Jake Bebber. What America really needs to do is create is an
offensive cyberspace-IO capability against Beijings domestic information control system. More

The Costs of Violence: Masters of Mankind

19 May 2016

In this continuation of the Masters of Mankind article, Noam Chomsky 1) highlights the human costs of externally-driven
interventions throughout the world; 2) deplores the who cares? attitude that many people have towards them; and 3)
concludes that protection wars have become the main source of violence in the world. More


Energy Security and the OSCE: The Case for Energy Risk Mitigation and Connectivity
19 May 2016

Energy risks are endemic in the OSCE area, argue Indra verland et al. Thats why the organization needs to marshal its
numerous capabilities (early warning, prevention-mitigation, crisis management, etc.) to proliferate energy security and
stability, primarily through legal and regulatory means. More

Nagorno-Karabakh: A Conflict Entrenched in Nationalistic Propaganda

20 May 2016

The intractability of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be attributable to multiple causes, admits Christine PhilippeBlumauer at fpri.org, but relentless nationalistic rhetoric is certainly one of them. The rhetoric, in turn, has led to an arms
race that could destabilize the entire Eurasian region and thwart needed political reforms. More

The Foreign Policies of African States in the Age of Democracy and Human Rights
20 May 2016

According to A T Hengari, African states have failed to provide the institutional foundations that facilitate the spread of
human rights, good governance and democracy. He also believes that strong and persistent sovereignty norms are to
blame, particularly in a pivotal area of each states identity foreign policy. More

// Blog

Mediation Perspectives: Early Warning/Early Response: Top-Down or Bottom-Up?

16 May 2016

When it comes to violence prevention and conflict transformation, honing effective Early Warning/Early Response (EWER)
mechanisms is a top priority for working mediators. But should these approaches be top-down or bottom-up? Heres
Steven Leachs answer.
More

The EU as a Terrorist Target: Why, Where, and How

17 May 2016

If member states want the European Union to be a robust international actor, they must give it the counterterrorist powers
it needs to protect itself. But is Brussels being subjected to classic terrorist logic i.e., if you take international action x, we
will react with terrorist response y? Roderick Parkes has his doubts. More

Burundi Crisis Year One

18 May 2016

As the crisis is Burundi officially enters its second year, torture, assassinations and newly formed armed opposition groups
have become the new normal. And yet, the growing violence isnt tipping over into a civil war, a coup or any other form of
instability that is immediately recognizable. Here are the reasons why. More

Give (Arab) Peace (Initiative) a Chance

19 May 2016

Can Saudi Arabias past efforts to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians be revived? What impediments
stand in the way? Are specific amendments required to make the initiative more palatable to both sides? Here are Bilal
Saab answers to these thorny questions and a handful of others. More

Orbiting Around a Public-Private Strategy for Space

20 May 2016

The space launch industry is undergoing a major transformation, argues Michael Singh. Multiple actors, reusable rockets
and plummeting payload costs will spur the commoditization of space and quicken its tempo. If the US hopes to meet this
challenge head on, it will have to adopt the following three-step strategy.
More

// Video

EIA's International Energy Outlook 2016

In this video, Adam Sieminski presents the 2016 edition of the Energy Information Administrations (EIA) International
Energy Outlook. Among other topics, Sieminski discusses the worlds projected gas and petroleum supplies out through
2040, and the key uncertainties that may alter EIAs forecasts. More

The Sykes-Picot Agreement, 100 Years Later

In this video, Reva Goujon and Emily Hawthorne discuss the Sykes-Picot Agreement's century-long impact on the Middle
East.
More

Is Black Money Really Black? The International and National Fight against Money Laundering

In this video, Reem Al-Ansari introduces us to money laundering activities occurring across the globe, the different stages
and techniques they involve, the effects they have, and the some of the measure being pursued against them.
More

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

Publications More
// Democratic Civilian Control and Military Crisis in Ukraine: Legislative Aspects More
// Distract, Deceive, Destroy: Putin at War in Syria
More
// Somalia: A Long Road Ahead More
// After Hub-and-Spoke: US Hegemony in a New Gulf Security Order More
// India's Space Security Policy: A Proposal
More
// Promoting Conflict-Sensitive Business Activity during Peacebuilding More

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