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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

711 December 2015

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series examines the results of the 2015 Global Militarisation
Index; the advantages of China's growing security presence beyond Asia; the political economy of military desertion and
rebel recruitment in the Syrian conflict; the current state and possible future of NATO-Russia relations; and the US Marine
Corps' Expeditionary Force 21 (EF21) concept. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW series, we look at what
provoked the most recent Eurozone crisis; the recent discovery of gas deposits in Georgia's Kakheti region; Central
America's violent Northern Triangle; the gender imbalances in EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP)
missions; and the overall status of warn-torn Yemen.

Global Militarisation Index 2015

7 December 2015

How do you determine if a society is too militarized? What's driving high levels of militarization in different parts of the
world? Finally, what's the relationship between militarization and human development? The answers to these question and
others can be found in the 2015 edition of the Global Militarisation Index. More

What Caused the Eurozone Crisis?

7 December 2015

Like other observers, Richard Baldwin and Daniel Gros believe the most recent Eurozone crisis shouldn't be classified as
a government debt crisis, even though it evolved into one. Instead, they think EU experienced a "sudden-stop crisis with
monetary union characteristics." More

China's Security Activities Extend Beyond Asia

8 December 2015

China's growing security presence beyond Asia is not all bad news, argues Justyna Szczudlik-Tatar. For instance,
Beijing's growing interests in Europe, Africa and elsewhere might provide opportunities for EU-Chinese cooperation on
mass migration, terrorism and other security issues. More

A New Boost for the Southern Corridor?

8 December 2015

What does Georgia stand to gain from the recent discovery of 3.8 trillion cubic meters of natural gas in the Kakheti region?
Well, there's energy independence and improved ties with Europe and Azerbaijan, says Stephen Blank. But if that's the
case, then what's behind Tbilisi's decision to sign a gas agreement with Russia's Gazprom? More

For Money or Liberty? The Political Economy of Military Desertion and Rebel Recruitment in the
Syrian Civil War
9 December 2015

Why do international actors need a better understanding of the forces propelling loyalty and desertion in the Syrian
military? The answer, according to Dorothy Ohl and her colleagues, is that it can help create policies that weaken the
Assad regime without strengthening radical rebel groups. More

Central America's Violent Northern Triangle

9 December 2015

In recent years, tens of thousands of Central Americans have sought asylum from their region's skyrocketing violence in
the USA. Today, Danielle Renwick outlines 1) the sources of the mayhem within the so-called Northern Triangle, 2) what
the Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran governments are trying to do about it, etc. More

Perspectives for NATO-Russia Relations

10 December 2015

Gender Balancing in CSDP Missions

10 December 2015

Why are women underrepresented in the EU's CSDP missions and operations? As Maline Meiske sees it, the core
problem is how people are recruited. Since they are seconded from member states, the latter continue to control who
participates in CSDP activities or not. More

Making Expeditionary Force 21 Work

11 December 2015

What makes the US Marine Corps' Expeditionary Force 21 concept (EF21) a risky proposition? As Scott Kinner sees it,
EF21 will press the service's organizations to embrace a culture of innovation and rigorous evaluation, act both nimbly and
quickly to solve complex problems, and take other potentially jarring steps. More

The Current Situation in Yemen: Causes and Consequences

11 December 2015

Noel Brehony's analysis of Yemen's problems makes for grim reading. Not only are the warring parties not ready to
negotiate, when they finally agree to lay down their arms they're going to have trouble cobbling together a regime that will
enjoy the support of Yemen's people. More

// Blog
Book Review: Jerusalem: The Spatial Politics of a Divided Metropolis
7 December 2015

Do the authors of the above book provide an accessible introduction to the 'spatial politics' of Jerusalem? Kenny Schmitt
believes so, but with caveats. He worries, for example, that the text conveniently glosses over international efforts to
challenge Israel's dominance of this divided city. More

Reigniting Somalia's Political Transition: Q&A with Ken Menkhaus

8 December 2015

Ken Menkhaus is an expert on Somalia's evolving politics. In today's question and answer session, he comments on
whether the UN and African Union have been able to achieve their objectives in Somalia, the current strength of AlShabaab, and other thorny problems. More

Church, State Joining Forces Against Western Religious Groups?

9 December 2015

Will proposed constitutional amendments continue to safeguard the rights of Armenia's different religions? That's the plan,
says Marianna Grigoryan, but things might get complicated if the government and dominant Apostolic Church try to restrict
such freedoms in the name of national security. More

Ecological Security
10 December 2015

When analysts talk about security and the environment, they tend to focus on how environmental problems inevitably
become security ones. This must change, says Matt McDonald. That's because this approach tends to ignore the social
construction of security and other concerns. More

"Soldiering Through": A Preliminary Assessment of Serbia's OSCE Chairmanship

11 December 2015

How has Serbia fared as the latest Chairman of the OSCE? Marko Savkovi thinks Belgrade "soldiered through" what was
a difficult year for the wider organization. While doing so, however, it picked up plaudits for its handling of the Ukraine
crisis and actively engaging with Serbian civil society. More

// Video

Reappraising the US Military Strategy and Mission in Afghanistan

In this video, four experts focus on 1) the US' current military strategy in Afghanistan; 2) how Afghan forces and American
advisors should respond to recently emboldened Taliban attacks; and 3) the impact external stakeholders in Pakistan,
India and China are having on the Afghan conflict. More

The Role of Civil Society in Tackling Sectarian and Interfaith Conflicts in the MENA Region

In this video, four analysts discuss the problems posed by sectarian narratives in the Middle East and North Africa. The
analysts, who have worked extensively in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, also reflect on how civil society might tackle the
root causes of religious acrimony and facilitate positive community relations. More

Order without Law? Gangs and Other Forms of Alternative Social Order in and Beyond the Prison

In this video, three researchers debate 1) the significance of gangs and other manifestations of informal social
organization, 2) the conditions under which such groups arise, and 3) their relationship to formal sources of power.More

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

Publications More
// Deploying Beyond their Means: America's Navy and Marine Corps at a Tipping Point More
// A Tortured History: Federalism and Democracy in Pakistan More
// Chinese Worldviews and China's Foreign Policy More

Videos More
// Evolution of the Cyber Domain: The Implications for National and Global Security More
/IEA's
/
World Energy Outlook 2015 More
/Is
/ ISIS Making Inroads in Sub-Saharan Africa? More

Audio / Podcasts More

// ISIS, Putin, and the Challenge to the West More
// Justice Mechanisms in the Syrian Conflict: Impunity under Scrutiny
More
// ECFR's World in 30 Minutes: Russian-Turkish RelationsMore

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