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Begin New Search Content Type Policy Brief Publication Year within 10 Years

1621. The EU and the Refugees: The Way Forward

Author:
Petr Kratochvil and Vit Beneš
Publication Date:
11-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute of International Relations Prague
Abstract:
his paper was prepared for the Prague European Summit. "The refugee crisis can become – in spite of the underlying tragedy – a moment of glory for the European Union. Suffering from crises of both identity and confidence, the EU can find itself again by drawing inspiration from its history and values and renew its purpose at home and abroad. If the EU manages to reform its outdated migration and asylum policies, offering the war refugees a friendly welcome, it will prove that the fears of its weakness are exaggerated and the rumours about its erosion are unfounded. If decisive action is taken by European leaders, the result will be of benefit for both the refugees and the societies as well as economies of the recipient countries. War refugees – and even economic migrants – are not a threat; they are an opportunity for the EU to prove that it still stands firm on the principles of peace, solidarity and openness, on which it had been originally built."
Topic:
Refugees and Refugee Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe

1622. Why should the Visegrad Group support the Iranian Nuclear Deal?

Author:
Erzsébet N. Rózsa
Publication Date:
09-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute of International Relations Prague
Abstract:
On July 14, 2015 the so-called P 5 + 1 (the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) concluded a historic deal with Iran over its nuclear program. The present paper argues that the Iranian nuclear program and the international controversy over it are derivatives of both the experimental model of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its behaviour, in which it acts as an empire.
Topic:
International Affairs and Nuclear Power
Political Geography:
Iran

1623. Combating Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea

Author:
Adeniyi Adejimi Osinowo
Publication Date:
02-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Abstract:
Despite earning the inauspicious title in recent years as the shipping corridor with the highest number of piracy attacks in the world, regional responses to piracy and maritime security threats in the Gulf of Guinea, have been fragmentary. Maritime domain awareness remains low, interagency coordination is limited, and intra-regional coordination mechanisms that have been established are often underfunded.
Topic:
International Security, International Affairs, and Global Political Economy
Political Geography:
Papua New Guinea

1624. An Empirical Analysis of Claimant Tactics in the South China Sea

Author:
Christopher D. Yung and Patrick McNulty
Publication Date:
11-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Abstract:
China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have used a wide variety of tactics to protect and advance their maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea. China is the most active user of the nine categories of tactics identified in this paper, with the exception of legal actions, and accounts for more than half of all military and paramilitary actions since 1995. Empirical data support the argument that the 2011 U.S. rebalance to Asia did not spur disruptive behavior in the South China Sea. China became more active in protecting and advancing its claims around 2009, before the rebalance was announced. The unclassified database used in this analysis undercounts military and paramilitary actions, but captures enough activity to provide a representative sample. A classified version that captures more activity would improve the potential to develop the database into an Indications and Warning tool to assist in monitoring and managing tensions in the South China Sea.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1625. Global Knowledge Networking: Smart Strategies for Promoting Innovative Learning and Leader Development

Author:
Walter L. Christman, Frank C. DiGiovanni, and Linton Wells II
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Abstract:
Dealing effectively with contemporary security challenges requires prepared coalitions of partners that are able to operate together. The Global Knowledge Networking (GKN) initiative supports local decisionmaking and makes knowledge actionable. Its core is the “composable organization,” where people, ideas, processes, and technology can be brought together as needed. The GKN supports initiatives from NATO’s Wales Summit, focused especially on interoperability and capacity-building. A proposed Gulf Knowledge Center test bed also would support recent decisions by a Gulf Cooperation Council Summit concerning military command and education. Building new learning tools with coalition partners can improve common understanding and shared procedures. This vision is a key part of the next generation of training and readiness capability, led by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness). The GKN initiative could be adapted for regions beyond the Gulf.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1626. Responding to Russia after the NATO Summit: Unmanned Aerial Systems Overmatch in the Black Sea

Author:
Conor Sullivan, Schuyler Standley, and James M Keagle
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Abstract:
In the aftermath of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Wales in September 2014, the Obama administration pledged $1 billion to assist Allies on the eastern front. This was in response to Russian initiatives and our Allies’ requests for increased U.S. presence. A potential response could be the introduction of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities around the Black Sea. Given the increasing concern over the strategic importance and therefore vulnerability of the areas bordering the Black Sea, such as Odessa, Transnistria, and the Danube Delta, this asymmetric response from the United States not only would add a less escalatory pressure on Russian interests in the area but also could alleviate some of the concerns of some NATO members.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1627. Defense Partnerships: Documenting Trends and Emerging Topics for Action

Author:
Samuel Bendett
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Abstract:
Further integration along with a shared forum for common procedures, roadblocks, and solution sets will help inform and address public-private, public-public (P4) functional stovepiping and specialized P4 success in the Department of Defense (DOD). There is a need for formal capture of enterprise-wide best practices and lessons observed. DOD personnel have significant training and competency in their specific career field, but there appears to be a need to either integrate or identify P4 subspecialties to develop P4 through the ranks. Cross-Service collaboration and interagency planning, tiger-teaming, and convening non-DOD stakeholders with DOD counterparts will support P4s both at a project level and an enterprise level.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1628. The EU approach to Gender: Limitations and alternatives

Author:
Sophie Heine
Publication Date:
12-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations
Abstract:
For several decades, the European Union has been at the forefront of significant progress in the struggle towards equality between women and men, among others in the fight against sex-based discriminations. The contemporary EU approach to gender has however become much more interested in representations and social norms. This paper analyses this stance and highlights its deficiencies – more specifically, it looks at the flaws entailed in an excessive focus on “gender
Topic:
Gender Issues and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Europe

1629. The United Nations Peace Operations and Motivations at the Roots of Turkey’s Involvement

Author:
Uğur Gungor
Publication Date:
07-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Abstract:
This policy brief studies the evolution of United Nations peace operations and aims at analyzing the motivations that lie at the root of Turkey’s involvement in peace operations, mostly organized under the leadership of the United Nations in the post-Cold War era. The brief puts forth the argument that participation in such operations has been an identity-constructing activity in the sense that Turkey has, through this particular way, tried to reinforce its eroding western identity in the 1990s. This brief also discusses alternative motivations behind Turkey’s involvement in peace operations, such as security-related considerations in a neo-realist vein and domestic influence of ethnic and religious pressure groups, but argues that these accounts fall short of offering convincing explanations.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Turkey

1630. Of Monarchs and Military Men: The Political Pathologies that Undermine Democracy in Burma and Thailand

Author:
Kelley Currie
Publication Date:
01-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Project 2049 Institute
Abstract:
Since a 2012 outbreak of communal violence targeting Rohingyas in Burma, the trafficking business had been booming. Subsequent official persecution intended to make Burma as inhospitable to the Rohingya as possible was working as planned: more than 120,000 Rohingyas have fled Burma since December 2012. For years, migration and human rights NGOs have warned regional and donor governments of the deteriorating situation facing the growing flood of Rohingya refugees. This humanitarian and political disaster also again laid bare the pathologies currently impeding Burma and Thailand on their paths toward stability and democracy
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus