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1242. European insurance union and how to get there
- Author:
- Dirk Schoenmaker
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Bruegel
- Abstract:
- What are the arguments for and against centralisation of insurance supervision? What would be the scope of a possible insurance union, and what would the legal basis be? How rapid should the move to insurance union be? This Policy Brief sets out to answer these questions.
- Topic:
- Economics and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Europe
1243. A Few Words on Real Russia
- Author:
- Yan Vaslavsky
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Rethinking Russia
- Abstract:
- Vladimir Putin delivered his Annual Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly at St. George’s Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace on December 1. The state-of-the- nation address is regarded as a major speech over a 12-month period. It usually recounts the progress and outlines national priorities and the development agenda for the near future. This format is not unique1, but it tends to command attention of the general public at home and abroad as well as of parliamentarians to whom, judging by its very name, it is addressed.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Cooperation, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Russia and Global Focus
1244. Vyacheslav Volodin to head CSTO Parliamentary Assembly. Some thoughts on popular roots of political support
- Author:
- Matthew Crosston
- Publication Date:
- 01-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Rethinking Russia
- Abstract:
- Vyacheslav Volodin was elected as head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s Parliamentary Assembly during the 9th Plenary Session of the CSTO’s PA in St. Petersburg on November 24th. Thus concludes a relatively fast and interesting transition personally for the influential Volodin, who in just three months has gone from the first deputy chief of President Putin’s staff in the Kremlin to being elected to the Russian Duma from his native Saratov to quickly becoming that body’s Speaker, officially putting him fourth in line in terms of Russian political power, behind the President, Prime Minister, and speaker of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the national parliament.
- Topic:
- International Affairs, Political Theory, and Political Power Sharing
- Political Geography:
- Russia
1245. The Russian Gambit In Syria
- Author:
- Flemming Splidsboel Hansen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Senior researcher and research coordinator Flemming Splidsboel Hansen explores Russia’s Syria agenda as part of a DIIS initiative to understand the geopolitics of nonwestern intervention in Syria. The Kremlin presents Russia’s political and military involvement in Syria as an unconditional success. Its overall aim of putting Russia firmly back on the geopolitical map has been met. It is now clear that the key to any negotiated settlement to the conflict in Syria lies in Moscow. Moreover, Russia now seems to be close to a position where it may dictate the composition of the future Syrian regime and, not least, decide whether Syrian president Bashar al-Assad will remain in the presidential palace or be forced into exile. The costs of the military operations have been acceptable to the Russian public. Defence observers estimate that the first year of military operations cost the Russian armed forces 65 bn Rubles (approximately one bn USD) and some 20 deaths (combat and non-combat). The financial costs may be partially offset by increased future weapons sales. There is a high probability, however, that Russia will find itself embroiled in a complicated sectarian conflict in Syria from which there is no easy exit. This would test Russian public support for the military involvement in Syria. Already now Russian media comments suggest some degree of frustration over the alleged lack of fighting capacity and will on part of the Syrian armed forces. The Russian public may want to see a plan for an orderly exit from Syria, and this puts pressure on the Kremlin to deliver. However, the Syrian regime may not be able to survive without Russian military support, and Russian policy-makers may therefore soon be facing difficult choices.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Russia and Syria
1246. Israel’s conflicting interests in the Syrian War
- Author:
- Halle Malmvig
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Senior researcher Helle Malmvig explores Israels’s Syria agenda as part of a DIIS initiative to understand the geopolitics of nonwestern intervention in Syria. Israel’s activities in Syria have not drawn much attention due to Israel’s official policy of neutrality. Yet, over the last couple of years, Israel has stepped up its operations in Syria, targeting Iranian and Hezbollah assets and providing quiet assistance to the rebels.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Security
- Political Geography:
- Israel and Syria
1247. India and APEC: Charting a Path to Membership
- Author:
- Anubhav Gupta
- Publication Date:
- 03-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- India’s membership in APEC would mitigate two significant problems: 1) India’s relatively poor integration into the global economy; and 2) the emergence of a divisive trade agenda in the Asia-Pacific. This issue brief outlines these challenges and highlights the obstacles and opportunities related to India’s inclusion in APEC. It concludes that this is the right time to start considering India’s membership in the forum and that a strategy is needed to chart a pathway for the country’s eventual accession to APEC.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance and Global Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- India
1248. Telecommunication Surveillance in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Policy brief
- Author:
- Sanjin Hamidičević
- Publication Date:
- 09-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Centre for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- The constitutional construction of Bosnia and Herzegovina created multiple police agencies and four judicial systems, which means that fifteen police agencies and the Intelligence- Security Agency of BiH could file a demand for telecommunication surveillance from 68 different courts. Even though the legal framework has been equalized, this complexity together with parliamentary oversight on multiple levels opens up penetration points for the misuse of telecommunication surveillance. In order to prevent eventual misuse, this paper recommends to decrease the number of courts that can issue warrants, create a coordination system for telecommunication surveillance between the police agencies and define guidelines for parliamentary oversight.
- Topic:
- National Security, International Security, and Political stability
- Political Geography:
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
1249. The Catch-22 in Nineveh: The Regional Security Complex Dynamics between Turkey and Iran
- Author:
- Tomáš Kaválek and Athanasios Manis
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
- Abstract:
- This paper argues that the future political stability of Nineveh depends on a two-level normalisation. A potential agreement between competing local actors, such as Baghdad and Erbil, is not the only necessary condition to stabilise the area. It also requires that Turkey and Iran decide to desecuritise Nineveh to the extent that it ceases to play the role of a buffer zone in the Middle East regional security complex. This argument is underpinned by the close examination of Turkey’s and Iran’s involvement together with their respective local allies in Nineveh in the post-2014 period. Developments referring to the cases of Bashiqa, Shingal, Tal Afar, as well as activities in favour or against Mosul leaders’ post-Islamic State (IS) vision illustrate that Nineveh’s securitisation has transcended Iraq’s borders. All in all, Turkey and Iran are vying for greater influence in Nineveh, or at least attempting to ensure that it will not become a satellite area of a competing power. Partly through their direct diplomatic and military engagement, but most importantly through their military and economic support to their local allies, the two regional powers pursue their security and diplomatic goals. At the same time, their involvement in the area has compounded the friction between local actors. Accordingly, the paper argues that in order to avoid greater polarisation in Nineveh and prepare the ground for constructive negotiations in the post-IS environment, Turkey and Iran should work on institutionalising their relationship beyond trade. Working together on issues of security between them, but also specifically in Nineveh, would improve trust and confidence in their relationship and help overcome the catch-22.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Security, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iran and Turkey
1250. The Future of the Middle East
- Author:
- Dlawer Ala’Aldeen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
- Abstract:
- The Middle East is still in flux and will remain so for some time, it will possibly be another decade before the ultimate power balance is reached. Policy makers of Iraq and the KRI who wish to pursue paths of their own design, must look carefully at the trends in power dynamics and the policies of the global and regional powers before designing their strategies.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Middle East