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232. Reshaping Political Space? The Impact of the Armed Insurgency in the Central African Republic on Political Parties and Representation
- Author:
- Andreas Mehler
- Publication Date:
- 12-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- German Institute of Global and Area Studies
- Abstract:
- This paper analyzes the declining importance of political parties in the Central African Republic (CAR). It argues that the problematic attitude of elites who are fluctuating between violent and peaceful behavior in order to further their own careers is jeopardizing both peace and democracy. The author hypothesizes that both political parties and rebel movements are failing to adequately represent (ethnoregional) interests, but that parties are suffering more in the course of the enduring war and the peace process. Patterns of elite behavior are presented as the main explanation for the resulting crisis of representation, with international actors' preference for inclusionary power-sharing deals seen as the main aggravating factor.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Armed Struggle, Insurgency, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- Africa
233. The Defense Monitor, Volume XXXVIII - October/November/December 2009
- Publication Date:
- 12-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Defense Information
- Abstract:
- Last July, a majority of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), led by Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., tried to reverse Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' decision to stop production of the F-22. After Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the White House lobbied long and hard against the emissaries from Lockheed, the F-22 lost in a somewhat lopsided vote of 58 to 40. Game over. Right?
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Security, Defense Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- United States
234. The Defense Monitor, Volume XXXVIII - July/August/September 2009
- Publication Date:
- 09-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center for Defense Information
- Abstract:
- The international Global Zero Commission, a group of political and military leaders from the United States, Russia and other key countries, held an intensive two-day meeting in Washington, D.C. on June 28-29, 2009 - where they presented a practical and comprehensive plan calling for the phased and verified elimination of all nuclear weapons over the next 20 years, and briefed senior Obama administration officials on their recommendations in advance of the July 6-8 Moscow Summit.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Security, Defense Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Washington, and Moscow
235. U.S.-Cambodia Defense Relations: Defining New Possibilities
- Author:
- Lewis M. Stern
- Publication Date:
- 12-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- In his speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in late May 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates laid out a vision of U.S. policy toward the region. The vision relies on longstanding treaty allies in Southeast Asia—the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia—as “cornerstones of U.S. foreign policy.” However, that vision does not stop there: it is designed to build a “new comprehensive partnership” with Indonesia and Singapore, to increase coop¬eration with Malaysia and Vietnam, and “to forge new partnerships in places long disre¬garded. This includes our emerging dialogue with Cambodia, as well as developments with Laos.” The dialogue with Cambodia thus holds out the prospect of a new partnership with a “long disregarded” country.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Corruption, War on Drugs, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- United States, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, and Southeast Asia
236. Colleagues for the America's Seminar with General Douglas Fraser, USAF
- Author:
- Col Jay Cope
- Publication Date:
- 11-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- Based on 5 busy months as commander, U.S. Southern Command, including visits to eight countries, General Douglas Fraser shared his impressions of opportunities and challenges in Central and South America and the Caribbean. He set the stage for his emphasis on cooperation by discussing geographical, economic, cultural, and military-to-military linkages between the United States and its southern neighbors, citing numerous examples of collaboration, particularly among the armed forces.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Economics, Regional Cooperation, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Latin America, and Caribbean
237. Security Strategies Today: Trends and Perspectives
- Author:
- Fred Tanner, Sunjay Chandiramani, and Nayef R.F. Al-Rodhan
- Publication Date:
- 03-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- There have been considerable developments in security-policy thinking since the end of the Cold War, and a complex set of transnational threats and challenges necessitates new security policies and strategies. Not only the attacks of 11 September 2001, but also the dark side of globalisation such as climate change, the global spread of dangerous technologies and international organised crime have changed the security perspective and policy procedures in recent years. Consequently, new national-security strategies, white papers and security-policy documents have been drafted in order to take into account the changing security landscape.
- Topic:
- Security, Climate Change, Globalization, and Counterinsurgency
238. Sulaiman Meets Obama as Washington's Lebanese Allies Face Crisis at Home
- Author:
- David Schenker
- Publication Date:
- 12-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- On December 14, Lebanese president Michel Sulaiman is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama at the White House. It is widely anticipated that during his visit, Sulaiman will request administration support for an increase in U.S. military assistance. Despite concerns that U.S. materiel will leak to Hizballah, Washington will likely agree to augment this funding, given the Lebanese Armed Force's excellent security record with equipment of U.S. origin. The question of U.S. military funding for Lebanon highlights recent developments in Lebanese politics that point to the resurgence of Hizballah -- and its Syrian and Iranian backers -- in Beirut. Although the pro-West March 14 coalition scored an impressive electoral victory in June, six months later, the government that has emerged constitutes a setback for Washington and its Lebanese allies. The scope of the setback -- for both the coalition and the United States -- was recently summarized by Syrian Ambassador to the United States Imad Mustafa, who said, "We love it!... It is exactly the sort of government we think should rule Lebanon."
- Topic:
- Diplomacy and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- United States, Washington, Middle East, Arabia, and Lebanon
239. Surplus Arms in South America
- Author:
- Aaron Karp
- Publication Date:
- 08-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Small Arms Survey
- Abstract:
- Long at the forefront of international small arms issues, public debate and activism in South America have largely focused on matters surrounding civilian firearms, estimated here to total between 21.7 and 26.8 million. The reasons for this civilian preoccupation are principally linked to chronic gun violence. South America has 14 per cent of the global population, and roughly 3.5 to 4 per cent of the world's civilian firearms, but it suffers from roughly 40 per cent of all homicides committed with firearms.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Arms Control and Proliferation, War, Armed Struggle, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- South America
240. The New Counterinsurgency Era: Transforming the U.S. Military for Modern Wars
- Author:
- David H. Ucko
- Publication Date:
- 07-2009
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Georgetown University Press
- Abstract:
- The U.S. military has historically paid little attention to the nature and requirements of counterinsurgency and stability operations. Missions pitting the U.S. military against insurgents, or forcing it into stabilization tasks and policing duties abroad, have tended to be dismissed as beyond the military's remit or as “lesser-included” operations. The emphasis has instead been on achieving primacy against the armed forces of nation-states, involving an anticipated adversary shaped and operating very much like the U.S. military itself. This prioritization of “high-intensity” or “conventional” war has remained even though the U.S. military has faced “unconventional” or “irregular” challenges at a greater frequency and in campaigns of greater duration and cost. Indeed, even the major combat operations waged by the United States have often preceded or involved a less conventional phase, entailing postconflict stabilization or state-building. Notwithstanding these historical trends, the U.S. military has—in its doctrine, education, training, and, more broadly, its culture—prioritized the destruction of military targets far above the different means of creating or consolidating a new political order.
- Topic:
- Terrorism and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- United States