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182. Missile Defence Systems: Global and Regional Implications
- Author:
- Dennis M. Gormley, Catherine M. Kelleher, and Scott Warren
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- The GCSP hosted a workshop on missile defence systems, supported by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. A range of experts, officials and academics contributed to the policy discussion on current and future issues related to missile defence systems. Participants sought to develop a common understanding of current missile defence capabilities, as well as potential threats. Throughout the workshop, experts explored military-technical and political-diplomatic responses to these identified threats.
- Topic:
- Security, Defense Policy, Nuclear Weapons, War, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Switzerland
183. Investing in Tragedy: China's Money, Arms, and Politics in Sudan
- Publication Date:
- 03-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Human Rights First
- Abstract:
- In August, for the first time in history, China will host the Olympics. For Beijing, those will be days of pride, a chance to display its progress and bask in the world's admiration. But far from the splendor of the Summer Games, the people of a remote area in the largest nation in Africa—the people of Sudan's Darfur region—will endure more death, disease and dislocation, and this will be due in no small part to China's callousness. Craving energy to keep its economic miracle humming, Beijing has forged a strong partnership with the Sudanese government in Khartoum.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Human Rights, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Africa, China, and Sudan
184. Chemical and Biochemical Non-lethal Weapons: Political and Technical Aspects
- Author:
- Ronald g. sutherland
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
- Abstract:
- The possibility that chemical or biological substances might be used for hostile purposes or as a method of warfare is of concern to those involved in ensuring that the international prohibition against chemical and biological warfare (CBW) is effectively implemented. The 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) are the principal international legal instruments against CBW. If any chemical or biological substance— including toxins and, in principle, various pharmacologically active drugs—were used for 'hostile purposes or in armed conflict' or as a 'method of warfare' it would constitute a violation of the BTWC and the CWC, respectively. The BTWC has weak verification mechanisms, while the CWC has quite strong verification mechanisms and procedures which are implemented by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), located in The Hague.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, War, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
185. Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- The international system—as constructed following the Second World War—will be almost unrecognizable by 2025 owing to the rise of emerging powers, a globalizing economy, an historic transfer of relative wealth and economic power from West to East, and the growing influence of nonstate actors. By 2025, the international system will be a global multipolar one with gaps in national power continuing to narrow between developed and developing countries. Concurrent with the shift in power among nation-states, the relative power of various nonstate actors—including businesses, tribes, religious organizations, and criminal networks—is increasing. The players are changing, but so too are the scope and breadth of transnational issues important for continued global prosperity. Aging populations in the developed world; growing energy, food, and water constraints; and worries about climate change will limit and diminish what will still be an historically unprecedented age of prosperity.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Globalization, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- United States
186. The (Non) Impact of UN Sanctions on North Korea
- Author:
- Marcus Noland
- Publication Date:
- 12-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Abstract:
- This study finds that North Korea's nuclear test and the imposition of UN Security Council sanctions have had no perceptible effect on North Korea's trade with its two largest partners, China and South Korea. Before North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test, it was widely believed that such an event would have cataclysmic diplomatic ramifications. However, beginning with visual inspection of data and ending with time-series models, no evidence is found to support the notion that these events have had any effect on North Korea's trade with its two principal partners.
- Topic:
- United Nations and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, South Korea, and North Korea
187. Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: Why the United States Should Lead
- Author:
- George Perkovich
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- The next American president should emphasize the goal of a world without nuclear weapons and really mean it. The verification and enforcement mechanisms that would be required to achieve this would augment U.S. and global security at a time when the nuclear industry will likely expand globally. Without a clearer commitment to the elimination of all nuclear arsenals, non–nuclear-weapon states will not support strengthened nonproliferation rules, inspections, and controls over fissile materials. The accounting and control over nuclear materials that would be necessary to enable nuclear disarmament would greatly reduce risks that terrorists could acquire these materials. If nuclear deterrence would work everywhere and always, we would not worry about proliferation. If nuclear deterrence is not fail-safe, the long-term answer must be to reduce the number and salience of nuclear weapons to zero.
- Topic:
- Government, Nuclear Weapons, Peace Studies, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
188. Iran: Is Productive Engagement Possible?
- Author:
- Karim Sadjadpour
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- Although Tehran and Washington appear hopelessly divided, issues of broad mutual concern reveal important overlapping interests. The United States can more effectively support democracy and human rights in Iran with policies that facilitate, rather than impede, Iran's modernization and reintegration in the global economy. The next U.S. president should not immediately seek comprehensive engagement with Tehran, as this might enhance Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chances of reelection in Iran's June 2009 presidential elections. The United States must deal with those who hold power in Tehran, namely Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Given the widespread mutual mistrust between Washington and Tehran, confidence should be built with negotiations on areas of common interest, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, rather than those of little or no common interest, such as the Palestinian–Israeli conflict or the nuclear issue. When it comes to U.S.–Iranian interaction, the record shows that “secret” or “private” discussions out of public earshot have a greater success rate. Building confidence in the public realm will be difficult, as politicians on both sides will likely feel the need to use harsh rhetoric to maintain appearances. It is imperative that Washington maintain a multilateral approach toward Iran, especially regarding the nuclear issue. Tehran is highly adept at exploiting rifts in the international community and diplomatic efforts to check Iran's nuclear ambitions will unravel if key countries approach Iran with divergent redlines. Powerful spoilers—both within Iran and among Iran's Arab allies—have entrenched economic and political interests in preventing U.S.–Iranian reconciliation.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, Iran, Washington, Middle East, Israel, Tehran, and Palestine
189. NATO and the challenge of non-lethal weapons
- Author:
- Cees M. Coops
- Publication Date:
- 09-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- The capability to apply lethal force manu militari has always been a hallmark of the military, as an instrument in the hands of their political masters to further the interests of the state. Driven by technological innovation, the means to apply lethal force and large scale destruction have been expanded tremendously over the centuries, to the extent that nation states decided that it was in their common interest to curtail or prohibit their use outright, but lethality remained as a qualifying factor. It is not surprising, therefore, that the phenomenon of Non- Lethal Weapons (NLW) was virtually non-existent during the Cold War.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, NATO, Science and Technology, War, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
190. What NATO can learn from "the surge" in Iraq
- Author:
- Christopher M. Schnaubelt
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- What a difference 30,000 additional troops and a new strategy make. A few years ago, Afghanistan was commonly viewed as the model of a successful intervention while many politicians, military analysts, and pundits believed that the war in Iraq was being irretrievably lost. Yet today— although conditions still have a long way to go before normalcy has been achieved—the progress in Iraq following “the surge” directed by President Bush in January 2007 is widely recognized. All the indicators of violence: attacks against Iraqi infrastructure and government organizations; small arms, mortar and rocket attacks, and casualties among Iraqi civilians, Iraqi Security Forces, and Coalition Forces have sharply declined since July 2007. The situation has gone from being generally perceived as on the brink of disaster to being a success story (albeit belated and costly).
- Topic:
- NATO, Terrorism, War, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Military Strategy
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, and Iraq