Number of results to display per page
Search Results
142. Foreign Fighters in Syria
- Author:
- Richard Barrett
- Publication Date:
- 06-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Soufan Group
- Abstract:
- Over 12,000 fighters from at least 81 countries have joined the civil war in Syria, and the numbers continue to grow. Around 2,500 are from Western countries, including most members of the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. There are also several hundred from Russia. But the great majority are from the Arab World. Most are fighting with rebel groups, and increasingly with the most extreme among them; but many are also fighting with the Government, or with ethnic or faith communities that are trying to protect themselves from both sides. A lot are young, often teenagers, and a fair percentage of those arriving from non-Muslim majority countries are converts to Islam. These and others who share their faith commonly express their motivation as a religious obligation to protect fellow Muslims from attack. This sense of duty is captured by their loose use of the word 'jihad'.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, and International Security
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, Middle East, Canada, Arabia, Australia, Syria, and New Zealand
143. Five Long-Term Challenges for NATO beyond the Ukraine Crisis
- Author:
- Karl-Heinz Kamp
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- Moscow's aggression against Ukraine has truly been a “game changer” for the Atlantic Alliance. Its implications for NATO's further evolution can hardly be over-estimated and after the likely shoot-down of a Malaysian civil aircraft over Ukrainian territory, controlled by pro-Russian rebels, the situation is even more unpredictable. Even if the catastrophe has put heavy political pressure on President Putin to reduce Russian involvement in Ukraine, Moscow is still not likely to revert the annexation of the Crimean peninsula. As a result, the crisis will dominate the international security debate for a long time to come. Thus, signs of resolve directed at Russia, measures to reassure the NATO members in Eastern Europe and indications of further cooperation with Ukraine will rank very high on the agenda of the NATO summit in Wales in September 2014. With the draw-down of the operation in Afghanistan, some Allies tend to see NATO's future role as primarily to preserve the territorial integrity of its member states. Hence, they argue in favour of a “back to basics” approach with an Alliance concentrated on its defence mission, according to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.
- Topic:
- Security, Terrorism, and International Security
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Malaysia, Ukraine, Asia, and Moscow
144. NATO Enlargement and Russia: Die-Hard Myths and Real Dilemmas
- Author:
- Michael Ruhle
- Publication Date:
- 05-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- The crisis in Ukraine, which culminated in Russia's annexation of the Crimea, marks a new low in NATO-Russia relations. While this relationship had been deteriorating for quite some time, Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis revealed a geopolitical agenda that caught many observers by surprise. In the course of just a few weeks Russia clearly emerged as a revisionist power, behaving in a manner reminiscent of the "predatory nation-states from the 19th century" and changing borders by force in order to deny a neighbouring country the choice to determine its own alignments.
- Topic:
- Security, Political Violence, and Defense Policy
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Asia, and Moscow
145. Cold War Déjà Vu? NATO, Russia and the Ukraine Crisis
- Author:
- Roger McDermott, Brooke Smith-Windsor, and Heidi Reisinger
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- Russia's behaviour in the Ukrainian crisis has been described by some as giving rise to “the most dangerous situation in East-West relations since the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.” For one, NATO's recently retired Supreme Allied Commander has called for immediate action in response. This could include, for example, bringing the NATO Response Force – a sea, air, land, special forces capability – to a higher state of alert, and sailing NATO maritime forces into the Black Sea.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, and NATO
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Ukraine, and Asia
146. Ukraine's Euromaidan: Questions from the (R)evolution
- Author:
- Hanna Shelest
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- The pictures of Kyiv on fire in early 2014 have attracted attention of the world's media, with Molotov cocktails, barricades and injured journalists making headlines. This is in sharp contrast to the previous two months, when hundreds of thousands of people were coming every Sunday to the main square – Maidan Nezalezhnosti – in peaceful protest.
- Topic:
- Security, Politics, and Social Movement
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, Ukraine, and Asia
147. Does Russia Matter? Purely Political Relations Are Not Enough in Operational Times
- Author:
- Heidi Reisinger
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- On 27 January 2014, the NATO Defense College Research Division hosted its Russia Roundtable, where international experts from various research institutions meet senior practitioners from the International Staff and International Military Staff from NATO HQ.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, NATO, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Asia
148. Russia and the Caspian Sea: Projecting Power or Competing for Influence?
- Author:
- Tracey German
- Publication Date:
- 08-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College
- Abstract:
- This monograph examines Russia's policy toward the Caspian Sea region as Moscow attempts to counterbalance growing American involvement within what it perceives to be its zone of privileged interest, focusing on the recent expansion of the Caspian Flotilla and the rationale behind it. Moscow has sought to counterbalance the growing involvement of other actors in the region, which has led to rising tension between Russia and its southern neighbors. The primary objectives of the research are to examine Russian perceptions of threat and security in the Caspian region and assess the implications for other actors. This monograph analyzes the drivers of the increasing competition for influence, focusing on developments within the energy sector, and assess the implications of Russia's consolidation of its dominance for security and stability in the region. This issue is important because a clear understanding of Russian strategic thinking and threat perception in the Caspian Sea is vital in order to facilitate effective U.S. policy in the wider Caucasus and Central Asian region.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Power Politics
- Political Geography:
- Russia and Central Asia
149. European Missile Defense and Russia
- Author:
- Andrew Monaghan and Keir Giles
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College
- Abstract:
- When U.S. President Barack Obama cancelled a scheduled September 2013 summit meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, “lack of progress on issues such as missile defense” was cited as the primary justification. Despite widespread and well founded assumption that the real trigger for the cancellation was the Russian decision to offer temporary asylum to Edward Snowden, the citing of missile defense was indicative. The comment marked one of the periodic plateaus of mutual frustration between the United States and Russia over U.S. attitudes to missile defense capability, stemming from a continued failure to achieve meaningful dialogue over U.S. plans and Russian fears.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, NATO, and Arms Control and Proliferation
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, and Europe
150. Four lessons the EU should learn about energy security
- Author:
- Ana Stanic
- Publication Date:
- 10-2014
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Institution:
- Chatham House
- Abstract:
- Diversification of gas supply has been a strategic priority for the European Union since its dependence on imports began to grow in the early 2000s. The crisis in Ukraine has heightened concerns that the flow of Russian gas passing through this country may be interrupted and has reignited calls for dependency on Russian gas to be reduced. As a new European Commission takes over energy policy in Brussels, it is worth examining the lessons the EU ought to learn from the Southern Gas Corridor project, which for a decade was seen as key to enhancing energy security.
- Topic:
- Security
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Europe, and Brazil