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1112. 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
1113. 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
1114. Dispelling the Myth that Israel Is the Largest Beneficiary of US Military Aid
- Author:
- Hillel Frisch
- Publication Date:
- 01-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies (BESA)
- Abstract:
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Many American detractors of Israel begin by citing that Israel receives the lion’s share of US military aid. The very suggestion conjures the demon of an all-powerful Israel lobby that has turned the US Congress into its pawn. But these figures, while reflecting official direct US military aid, are almost meaningless in comparison to the real costs and benefits of US military aid – above all, American boots on the ground. In reality, Israel receives only a small fraction of American military aid, and most of that was spent in the US to the benefit of the American economy
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Israel
1115. 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
1116. 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
1117. From Cradle to Grave: The Lifecycle of Foreign Fighters in Iraq and Syria
- Author:
- Arie Perlinger and Daniel S. Hamilton
- Publication Date:
- 01-2017
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
- Abstract:
- In April 2016, the CTC released a major report on Islamic State foreign fighters. This report, based on over 4,000 leaked personnel records, gave an interesting inside look at who the group was able to bring into the organization and also how the group was trying to manage the large number of recruits. The Combating Terrorism Center is pleased to announce the release of another major report on foreign fighters. This report, From Cradle to Grave: The Lifecycle of Foreign Fighters in Iraq and Syria, breaks down the experience (or lifecycle) of foreign fighters into three stages: pre-departure, in theater, and return. However, because the personnel records used in the previous report do not speak to each of these stages, this report then uses open-source reporting on these fighters to code variables in each of these different stages. Using a dataset of nearly 1,200 foreign fighters from mostly Western Europe and North America, this report offers a more holistic examination of what the fighter flows look like, but also what challenges policymakers and practitioners will face as they continue to deal with this enduring and complicated problem.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Military Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1118. Russia-India Energy Cooperation: Trade, Joint Projects, and New Areas
- Author:
- Amit Bhandari and Vasily Shikin
- Publication Date:
- 10-2017
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
- Abstract:
- In 2017, Russia and India celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Over the years the two states have implemented a wide range of long-term and large-scale joint projects in energy sector, first and foremost in the nuclear area, making it one of the foundations of their special and privileged strategic partnership. However, in order to boost comprehensive ties and bring them to a new level corresponding to the changing global economic environment Russia and India are in need of innovative approaches in energy sector. The present paper is a result of Russian and Indian experts’ joint efforts to evaluate the potential of new collaboration formats and develop specific recommendations for enhancing cooperation.
- Topic:
- International Organization and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1119. A decentralized, consumer-driven model for the solar eco-system
- Author:
- Amit Bhandari
- Publication Date:
- 01-2017
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
- Abstract:
- The transition to renewable energy is hampered by the lack of suitable, affordable products and specialised financing for its infrastructure. This infographic, as part of a policy brief put forth by Gateway House, set to be tabled at the 2017 Hamburg G20 conference, outlines an ecosystem to overcome these hurdles
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
1120. Measuring cross-border trade in services by trading partner country and company
- Author:
- Akshay Mathur
- Publication Date:
- 01-2017
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations
- Abstract:
- Cross-border trade in services is increasingly the pre-eminent driver of growth for developed and developing countries alike. Service-related commitments are included in most of the new trade agreements. Effective policy-design however, is dependent on collection and presentation of accurate data. Inter-agency task forces of multilateral organizations such as UN, WTO, IMF and OECD have designed a framework to capture cross-border trade in services but data classification by partner trading company, partner trading country and by modes-of-supply, remains a challenge. The G20 can plug this gap through comprehensive information-collection and sharing
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus