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RUSI Newsbrief
Concise briefings on contemporary issues and trends in international security
September 2019, Vol: 39 No: 8
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, Technology
Get Yourself Stress Tested
RUSI Newsbrief, 15 August 2019, No: 7Elisabeth Braw
Ordinary citizens in Western countries are under-prepared to deal with extended disruptions to power or the internet. To strengthen resilience to greyzone attacks, societies should start stress testing themselves.
Tags: Modern Deterrence
Retired Generals in Israeli Politics: Concerning Backstep or Status Quo?
RUSI Newsbrief, 8 August 2019, No: 7Ian Westerman
Concern over the political rise of former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz is misplaced. The military’s role in Israeli politics has always served to reinforce democratic values, not erode them.
Tags: Civil–Military Relations, Israel, Global Security Issues
The Gathering Storm: As the Baltic States Prepare to Disconnect from the Russian Power Grid, the Kremlin is Ready to ‘Help’
RUSI Newsbrief, 2 August 2019, No: 7Justinas Juozaitis
With the Baltic states on-track to become independent from centralised Russian control over their power networks, the Kremlin has demonstrated an alarming potential to disconnect them from its power grid before they are ready to join the continental European network.
Tags: Modern Deterrence, Russia, Global Security Issues
‘Rasputitsa’: Why Railways and Roads are Russia’s Achilles’ Heel
RUSI Newsbrief, 26 July 2019, No: 6Emily Ferris
Ageing railways, poor-quality roads and an inadequate response by the authorities to calls for basic services are the weak underbelly of the Russian infrastructure system.
Tags: International Security Studies, Russia, Domestic Security, Global Security Issues
An Inevitable Tragedy or Tentative Hope in Sudan?
RUSI Newsbrief, 19 July 2019, No: 6Michael Jones
Whether the recently agreed peace deal in Sudan, allegedly aimed at a democratic transition and civilian rule, will lead to stability is far from a forgone conclusion.
Tags: African Union, Terrorism and Conflict, Sudan, Domestic Security, National Security, Africa
Beyond Passportisation in Eastern Ukraine: President Zelenskiy is Put to the Test
RUSI Newsbrief, 11 July 2019, No: 6Sébastien Gobert
How newly-elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responds to Moscow’s provision of Russian passports to residents in occupied Donbas will not only set the tone for his administration’s foreign policy, but could seriously unsettle Putin’s project of consolidating a sphere of influence in the post-Soviet region.
Tags: Ukraine, Russia, Global Security Issues
A Mackinder–Mahan Geopolitical View of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
RUSI Newsbrief, 5 July 2019, No: 6Adam Leong Kok Wey
Both born over 100 years ago, the geopolitical theories of Halford J Mackinder and Alfred Thayer Mahan offer timely clarity of the strategic interests behind China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Tags: China, Global Security Issues, New Silk Road
Delegating Deterrence: Can ‘Privateering’ Help Solve the Cyber Warfare Puzzle?
RUSI Newsbrief, 27 June 2019, No: 5David Rudd
In an era of great power competition, the UK and its allies may find that one answer to the challenge posed by adversary cyber operations lies in the distant past
Tags: Cyber, Modern Deterrence
The Toxic Legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles
RUSI Newsbrief, 21 June 2019, No: 5Aaron Edwards
The 50th anniversary of the day that British troops first deployed to Northern Ireland offers an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of Operation Banner, and whether the security forces contributed to the troubles or prevented them.
Tags: Armed Forces, UK Counter-terrorism, Tackling Extremism, UK, History, National Security, Terrorism
The US–Turkey Strategic Stalemate
RUSI Newsbrief, 13 June 2019, No: 5Michael Stephens
Despite Daesh’s military defeat there remains a significant clash between the US and Turkey about Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria. Should Washington continue to support the Kurds?
Tags: Turkey, United States, Iraq, Counterinsurgency, Syria, Global Security Issues
Remembering D-Day
RUSI Newsbrief, 6 June 2019, No: 5Hew Strachan
On the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, RUSI and YouGov have conducted a special opinion poll to assess current public attitudes to the event. The poll indicates that only half of Britain knows the significance of D-Day, a source of irony amid today’s polarised politics, says Sir Hew Strachan.
Tags: UK, History
British Public Attitudes Towards the Second World War
RUSI Newsbrief, 30 May 2019, No: 4Joel Faulkner Rogers
A new survey of the British public shows both profound reverence and some striking ignorance towards Britain’s involvement in the Second World War.
Tags: UK, HistoryPages
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