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271. Devolution of Power in Pakistan

Author:
Syed Mohammed Ali
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:
Passage of the eighteenth amendment to Pakistan’s constitution in 2010 was rightly hailed as a major accomplishment. Not only did it devolve significant powers from the central government to the provinces, it also mandated the formation of local governments to bring government closer to the people. It took half a decade for the provinces to set up local governments—and real decision-making authority and financial resources have been even slower to arrive. In this Special Report, Syed Mohammad Ali takes stock of Pakistan’s devolution process and why its success is critical to the long-term prospects of democracy and the cultivation of new generations of democratic leaders.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

272. The Current Situation in Colombia

Author:
USIP
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:
A historic peace accord ended the 50-year armed conflict between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016. Following the terms of the agreement, in 2017, more than 10,000 FARC combatants surrendered over 8,000 weapons and consolidated into 26 encampments, transitioning to civilian life. Implementing the accord — which means cementing the agreement into national legislation and ensuring its provisions reach all corners of the country equitably — remains difficult.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

273. To Defeat Terrorism, Use 'People Power'

Author:
Maria J. Stephan and Leanne Erdberg
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:
As governments and communities seek the right combination of methods to halt terrorism, one that we too often miss is nonviolent resistance. It’s not that we haven’t seen the power of protest movements that use mass marches, sit-ins, boycotts and other forceful but nonviolent tactics. To the contrary, people worldwide have been moved by watching such movements sweep aside the walls of apartheid, the tanks of dictators or the impunity of kleptocracies. But governments and civil society alike have failed to connect the dots—to promote nonviolent action that can help communities address grievances while absorbing the youth alienation upon which terrorist movements feed.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

274. Deputy Secretary of State Sullivan: U.S. to Lead on Humanitarian Issues

Author:
USIP
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:
The United States remains committed to its role as a global leader on humanitarian issues and will continue seeking to avert crises that spawn the need for humanitarian aid, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

275. USIP’s Work on Violent Extremism

Author:
USIP
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:
Over the past decade, transnational and deadly violent extremist movements—such as ISIS, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and al-Shabab—have risen out of instability and conflicts and repeatedly inflamed and perpetuated hostilities. These movements recruit followers and destabilize regions by harnessing agendas and exploiting grievances such as social marginalization, political exclusion, state repression, and lack of access to justice and resources.
Topic:
International Relations and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

276. Technology and National Security: The United States at a Critical Crossroads

Author:
James Kadtke and John Wharton
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Abstract:
Rapid globalization of science and technology (S&T) capacity presents a serious and long-term risk to the military and economic security of the United States. To maintain U.S. preeminence, our domestic science and technology enterprise requires a new paradigm to make it more agile, synchronized, and globally engaged. U.S. technological competitiveness depends not only on research but also on legal, economic, regulatory, ethical, moral, and social frameworks, and therefore requires the vision and cooperation of our political, corporate, and civil society leadership. Re-organizing our domestic S&T enterprise will be a complex task, but recommendations presented in this paper could be first steps on the path to maintaining our future technological security.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

277. Low-Cost Access to Space: Military Opportunities and Challenges

Author:
Philip Stockdale, Scott Aughenbaugh, and Nickolas J. Boensch
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Research Paper
Abstract:
In support of the Air University “Fast Space” study, the National Defense University collaborated with Johns Hopkins University, eight think tanks, and subject matter experts to analyze the utility of ultra-low-cost access to space (ULCATS) for the U.S. military. Contributors identified disruptors that could achieve ULCATS and Fast Space as well as space architectures and capabilities that could reduce the cost of access to space. They also offered recommendations for legal, policy, regulatory, authority, and oversight adjustments that could facilitate reductions. The combination of a greater number of innovative commercial space actors, industry advocacy for licensing reform, and optimism regarding reusable launch vehicles will eventually change the ways the United States operates in space. As the economic landscape of space activities evolves, some missions in low earth orbit may be turned over to commercial sector operation, but the next 3 to 5 years might not be revolutionary for government use of space capabilities.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

278. Return the Favour with a Thousand Cuts: India’s Pakistan Policy

Author:
Vivek Chadha
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
Abstract:
During the last couple of years, India has recalibrated its policy towards Pakistan by adopting a two-pronged approach. One prong consists of not holding formal talks until Pakistan stops using terrorism as an instrument of state policy against India.1 And the second prong involves retaining the right of retaliation against those elements and locations along the Line of Control (LoC) that are complicit in perpetrating cross border terrorism.2 In essence, India's aim has been to gain leverage over Pakistan by striking it where it hurts the most.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

279. Resituating Menser and Darchen-Labrang in the Boundary Negotiations with China

Author:
P. Stobdan
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
Abstract:
The recent launch of the China-Pakistan-Economic Corridor (CPEC) by China and Pakistan has provided India with a fresh impetus to assert its sovereign claim over Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), including Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, which had hitherto remained in diplomatic abeyance. The Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh on October 26, 1947 warranted India’s control over the entire territory of the erstwhile Princely State of Jammu & Kashmir. And, Section 4 of the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Constitution defined the State’s territory as comprising all the territories which, on the fifteenth day of August 1947, were under the sovereignty or suzerainty of the Ruler of the Stat
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

280. Closing Sweden’s Military Security Defi cit: the National Debate on NATO Membership

Author:
Ian Anthony and Carrie Weintraub
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
NATO Defense College
Abstract:
Th e National Security Strategy published by the Swedish government in January 2017 underlines that the security challenges facing the country are complex and subject to rapid change. One current challenge is the re-emergence of traditional forms of power politics, including in the Baltic Sea region, which is described as one of the main areas of friction between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).2
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus