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Begin New Search Political Geography Global Focus Publication Year within 10 Years

1741. A State Affair: Privatizing Congo’s Copper Sector

Author:
The Carter Center
Publication Date:
02-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The Carter Center
Abstract:
The Carter Center’s in-depth report, “A State Affair: Privatizing Congo’s Copper Concessions,” is the culmination of the Center’s analysis of mining sector trends in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the end of the Zaire era 20 years ago, with a strong focus on the DRC’s key state-owned mining company, Gécamines. The report draws on the Center’s detailed analysis of the mining contract review process in the DRC following the 2006 elections and includes a broader economic and political analysis of mining privatization in the former Katanga province, a region particularly rich in copper and cobalt.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1742. Momentous Change in the Nile Basin

Author:
Basel Ammane
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
The Nile Basin is among numerous areas around the world that experience water scarcity. Many of the countries that are in it fail to meet the minimum of 2,740 litres per person per day needed to avoid being listed as a country with chronic water scarcity. 1 To make matters worse, the collective population of these countries is expected to rise to around 647 million by 2030, a 52 percent increase from what it was in 2010 according to the UN Population Division
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1743. Brazil: President Temer’s Attempt to Revive the Former Latin American Powerhouse

Author:
Marcelo Lopez de Aragon
Publication Date:
08-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
Thanks to the ruling majority in the Brazilian Parliament, President Michel Temer, a self-styled political centrist, was barely saved on August 2, 2017, from undergoing a corruption trial that could have led to his dismissal and potential imprisonment. The Brazilian president is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for granting political favours to various Brazilian companies and politicians since 2010. According to secret telephone recordings taken of the president, these illegal practices reportedly continued after Temer took the presidential reigns. Regardless of the judicial fate of the Brazilian president, the fact that his mandate is peppered with scandals reflects how corruption has spread throughout the Brazilian political system like a cancer metastasized across the halls of power.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1744. The Organization of American States: The Forum of Despair and Economic Interests

Author:
Marcelo Lopez de Aragon
Publication Date:
06-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
Founded in 1948, the Organization of American States (OAS) is billed as the premier political multilateral forum of the western hemisphere with 34 member states. At its core, the raison d’être of the OAS rests on the promotion and safeguarding of four pillars: democracy, human rights, security and development.
Topic:
International Relations and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1745. Make Japan Great Again? The Rise of Trump and Significance of the US-Japan Alliance

Author:
Fuad Olajuwon
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
Japan is in a unique position. With the rise of Trump and the changing of the American political landscape, the world faces a new challenge. That challenge is uncertainty. If you’re from a realist background, that raises concern. The shifting of the global narrative is one to look out for, as countries across Europe and the Western world are shifting away from the “liberal world order” and more into an ideologist that puts the concerns of the host over that of the guest. With Brexit and “#AmericaFirst” rhetoric gaining momentum, what is the fate of East Asia? One thing is sure: this is a unique time as ever for Japan to stand on its own two feet.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1746. Policy Brief – Momentous Change in the Nile Basin

Author:
Basel Ammane
Publication Date:
10-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
The Nile Basin is among numerous areas around the world that experience water scarcity. Many of the countries that are in it fail to meet the minimum of 2,740 litres per person per day needed to avoid being listed as a country with chronic water scarcity. To make matters worse, the collective population of these countries is expected to rise to around 647 million by 2030, a 52 percent increase from what it was in 2010 according to the UN Population Division. Fortunately, however, there does not seem to be sufficient evidence to establish a strong relationship of one-way causality between water scarcity and conflict. In fact, a comprehensive study of the matter at Oregon State University in 2001 concluded that incidents of cooperation far outnumbered those of conflict among countries that shared a water resource and experienced water scarcity. This paints a substantially different picture from that portrayed by the dramatic rhetoric expressing quasi-certainty about the occurrence of water wars one typically encounters in sensationalistic pieces. What’s more, the record has shown that the typical response to water scarcity has been one of cooperation and innovation. Having said that, increasing inter-annual variability in the flow of the waters of the river and the consequent increase in instances of floods and droughts, coupled with a rise in the willingness and ability of upstream countries to challenge Egypt’s hegemonic status in addition to the demographic changes mentioned earlier will certainly test the basin countries’ capacity for cooperation, innovation and adaptation. This will ultimately be crucial in determining the state of relations among them and the future of their populations with respect to water.
Topic:
International Organization and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1747. The Changing Balance of Power in the Age of Emerging Cyber Threats

Author:
Ivo Tsekov
Publication Date:
06-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute for Security and International Studies (ISIS)
Abstract:
This paper addresses one of the key issues of the international security agenda today: the role of cyber warfare in the changing security landscape of the 21st century. Cyber warfare involves the actions by a nation-state or international organization to attack and attempt to damage another nation's computers or information networks through IT means. While a great deal has already been written on the topic, there needs to be a stronger examination of how the combination of cyber weapons with traditional strategic approaches might impact strategic choices related to cyber war. In order to understand whether there is a security competition in cyberspace, it is necessary to assess the current balance of power. Therefore, the issue of cyber warfare has relevance to practitioners, policy-makers, and scholars in the national, regional and international levels
Topic:
Power Politics and Cybersecurity
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1748. Homeland Security Recommendations, Winter 2017

Author:
HOMELAND SECURITY PROGRAM
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Aspen Institute
Abstract:
Since its inception in 2010, AIHSG has enjoyed a close relationship with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the rest of the department's senior leadership team. We commend former Secretary Johnson for his service to the nation and the progress the department made during his tenure. We congratulate Secretary Kelly on his nomination and confirmation, and look forward to working with him and his senior leadership team in the years ahead
Topic:
Global Security
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1749. The Fight Goes On: The Islamic State’s Continuing Military Efforts in Liberated Cities

Author:
Daniel S. Hamilton and Muhammad Al-Ubayadi
Publication Date:
06-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract:
This report examines the Islamic State’s self-reported military activities in 16 cities, 11 in Iraq and five in Syria. From each city’s date of liberation from the Islamic State until April 2017, the Islamic State reported that it carried out 1,468 separate attacks in these 16 cities. The volume of military operations in these cities provides evidence for the idea that the Islamic State, once relegated in Iraq to guerilla warfare from 2003-2011, may be returning to this form of existence in Iraq and Syria. However, this activity is not uniform across each of the cities. As the coalition edges closer to taking formal control of Mosul and Raqqa back from the Islamic State, this report highlights trends in the data to provide additional insight for those planning and implementing post-liberation security, reconstruction, and governance plans.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1750. Then and Now: Comparing the Flow of Foreign Fighters to AQI and the Islamic State

Author:
Brian Dodwell, Daniel S. Hamilton, and Don Rassler
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Abstract:
Using two different sets of data derived from internal, bureaucratic documents produced by the Islamic State (and its predecessor group) during two distinct periods of time (2006-2007 and 2011-2014), this report evaluates how the make-up, scale, and scope of the Iraq- and Syria-bound foreign fighter problem has changed over the last decade. It does so across three dimensions. First, it outlines the similarities and differences that exist in the backgrounds of the foreign fighters who joined the Islamic State during separate blocks of time. Second, it provides insight into the local travel and flow of foreign fighters across time as well as the mobilization infrastructure that the Islamic State had in place to facilitate the travel of recruits into Syria or Iraq. Third, it details changes in the preferences of foreign fighters, as reflected by the roles they wanted to fill within the organization.
Topic:
International Affairs and Military Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus