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RUSI Newsbrief
Concise briefings on contemporary issues and trends in international security
January 2020, Vol: 40 No: 1
Russia’s Outreach to Iraqi Kurdistan: A Gambit for Energy Investments and Regional Status
RUSI Newsbrief, 16 January 2020, No: 1Samuel Ramani
As Russia’s resurgence in the Middle East continues and Moscow hones its position as a regional diplomatic arbiter, Russia’s partnership with the Kurdistan Regional Government will likely continue to strengthen in the months and years to come.
Tags: Iraq, Russia, Global Security Issues
Is Russia Changing Gear on Belarus? Unpacking the Importance of the Union State for Russia
RUSI Newsbrief, 10 January 2020, No: 1Emily Ferris and Paul Hansbury
High-level presidential meetings, increasing rhetoric from the Kremlin and the growing use of Russia’s soft power levers all indicate that Moscow is adapting its approach to Belarus amid a changing political climate.
Tags: International Security Studies, Russia
Macron is Mistaken – NATO Remains the Continent’s Best Defence
RUSI Newsbrief, 28 November 2019, No: 10Jonathan Eyal
Emmanuel Macron’s criticism of the transatlantic Alliance is both counterproductive and flawed in its analysis – and his proposals for European security independence are equally misguided.
Tags: NATO, Europe
#WeAreNATO: Strategic Communications, Engagement and Lessons Learnt
RUSI Newsbrief, 22 November 2019, No: 10Igor Merheim-Eyre and John G L J Jacobs
The #WeAreNATO campaign is an important tool to communicate the purpose and benefits of the Alliance. But to make it more durable, greater effort needs to be put into complementing top-down institutional efforts with bottom-up civic initiatives.
Tags: NATO, Europe
From Schools to Total Defence Exercises: Best Practices in Greyzone Deterrence
RUSI Newsbrief, 15 November 2019, No: 10Elisabeth Braw
How NATO member states can develop societal resilience to combat modern threats.
Tags: Modern Deterrence, NATO, Resilience
The 2% Target: Spending Increases and the Russian Threat
RUSI Newsbrief, 8 November 2019, No: 10Malcolm Chalmers
While all NATO countries have increased defence spending since 2014, the Alliance’s new members have done the most.
Tags: Defence Spending, NATO, North America, Europe
The Paradox at the Heart of NATO’s Return to Article 5
RUSI Newsbrief, 1 November 2019, No: 10John R Deni
To respond effectively to the threats NATO faces in its eighth decade, and to safeguard the promise of collective defence enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, the Alliance must refocus time and resources on fighting its adversaries in the grey zone.
Tags: NATO, Global Security Issues
A More Usable Army: Implications of Fusion Doctrine for Land Forces
RUSI Newsbrief, 25 October 2019, No: 9Oliver Major
The British Army must respond to calls for reform posed by Fusion Doctrine and Global Britain.
Tags: Armed Forces, Military Sciences, UK, Land Forces, UK Defence
Human Rights and Denuclearisation in North Korea: Two Sides of the Same Coin
RUSI Newsbrief, 18 October 2019, No: 9Cristina Varriale
If long-term peace is to be achieved and denuclearisation completed, addressing North Korea’s human rights situation must become part of the process. Without this, it will be impossible to remove all sources of perceived hostility and North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Gaming the System: Money Laundering Through Online Games
RUSI Newsbrief, 11 October 2019, No: 9Anton Moiseienko and Kayla Izenman
In-game artefacts and currencies often have real-life value and can be used to move or invest criminal proceeds. But there are no clear expectations of what game operators can or should do to identify criminal activity.
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
What About the Afghan State? US Interests Reach Beyond Counterterrorism
RUSI Newsbrief, 4 October 2019, No: 9James M Page
The cancellation of the US peace agreement with the Taliban not only reasserts the importance of elections in Afghanistan, but also wider US interests in the Afghan state.
Tags: Afghanistan
US (and Other Powers) Woo Central and Eastern Europe: A New Centre of Gravity?
RUSI Newsbrief, 20 September 2019, No: 8Igor Merheim-Eyre
Central and Eastern Europe is becoming an important place for geopolitics.
Tags: United States, US Defence Policy, Americas, Defence Policy, Europe
A Cryptic Challenge: Banking Virtual Currencies
RUSI Newsbrief, 13 September 2019, No: 8Tom Keatinge and Kayla Izenman
Banks, guardians of the integrity of the financial system, cannot hide from the risks posed by cryptocurrencies; they must learn to move on from a poor strategy of avoidance and de-risking.
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
How to Lose Friends and Influence People: Upsetting the Balance in Xi Jinping’s China
RUSI Newsbrief, 6 September 2019, No: 8Charles Parton
Through his clampdown on corruption, dissent and relative freedoms, Chinese President Xi Jinping has alienated various groups within society. However, in the absence of a serious economic downturn and a rift within the Party’s leadership, discontent is unlikely to unseat him for the foreseeable future.
Tags: China, Global Security Issues, Intelligence, Technology
Should Robots Kill? Towards a Moral Framework for Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
RUSI Newsbrief, 22 August 2019, No: 7Tom Ascott
If lethal autonomous weapons systems are to be used in war, a moral framework to guide their ethical use is warranted. Despite the limitations it may pose on their capabilities, a rules-based moral framework is the best approach given the current state of technology.
Tags: Law and Ethics, TechnologyPages
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