Surging Violence and Far-Right Extremism: Unpacking Social Media’s Role in the 2024 Election
Image Source: Wall Street Journal Across the Western world, right-wing political movements are on the rise. In the United States, this has manifested in an uptick of far-right extremist activity on the fringes of the U.S. political spectrum. Since 2016, far-right ideology in the United States has increasingly been a driver of extremist violence. In…
Why the Armenians of Artsakh Surrendered: Takeaways from Interviews with Refugees
Image Source: AP News By guest contributor Sarkis Karabashian, a student in the Security Studies Program (SSP). As the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on, another longstanding conflict simultaneously flared up unnoticed. After a 10-month siege that held the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh starved and without gas, electricity, or Internet, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive on…
From Sling and Stone to Autonomous Drone? Key Questions for Determining Whether Autonomy Favors Davids or Goliaths
Image Source: DALLE-3, via ChatGPT Suppose that the year is 2035 and America is engaged in counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East: would autonomous drones favor the insurgents or counterinsurgents? Scholars such as T.X. Hammes, Paul Scharre, and Sarah Kreps have argued that autonomous military systems (AMS) will tend to favor conventionally “weaker” or poorer…
The Great Replacement Theory & Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists
Image Source: NPR In February, a convoy of trucks calling themselves “Take our border back” traveled from Virginia to the Texas-Mexico border to show support for the Texas government in its protest against the federal government over the immigration crisis. The convoy’s final destination was Quemado, Texas, 20 miles from Eagle Pass, where the Texas…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Fact vs. Fiction: WWII Mythologizing and Its Legacy in Ukraine
Apple Podcasts | Spotify The invasion of Ukraine has shone a light on how global leaders leverage historical narratives to suit the political moment. For leaders like Vladimir Putin, the popular memory of World War II is a useful propaganda tool to legitimize its invasion. In this episode, Dr. Aviel Roshwald discusses the legacies of…
The End of MINUSMA: Russia Competes with the UN for Global Influence
Image Source: United Nations In late December 2023, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, finalized its withdrawal from the country after over a decade on the ground. Its exodus came after Mali’s transitional military government withdrew its consent for the UN peacekeeping mission, citing the UN’s inability to curb the violence they had been…
Looking Beyond the Politics at the Southwest Border
Members of the Texas National Guard give directives to migrants at the United States-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, Thursday, May 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez). Image Source: Spectrum 1 News. The Southwest land border, also known as the United States-Mexico border, has been at the forefront of national political attention. Republican leaders have called…
Pyrophobia: Confronting a National Resistance to Proactive Fire Use
Image Source: National Geographic “You can’t fireproof the forest,” John Gould, former smokejumper and manager of the Alaska Fire Service, told me. There is simply too much land to manage and not enough people to devote to the task. In this resource-constrained environment, the United States’ response to wildfire has typically been reactive and ad…
Beyond Conflict: The Ripple Effect of Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
Image Source: AP On October 19, 2023, the U.S.S. Carney intercepted three Houthi cruise missiles and several drones in the Red Sea. The missiles were launched from Yemen and targeted commercial vessels, decidedly marking the beginning of ongoing confrontations with Houthi insurgents in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This takes place against…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Shoot for the Moon – Cislunar Security
Apple Podcasts | Spotify As great power competition extends into space, what will be the impact on nations’ behaviors and interests both on and around the Moon? Host Kellsie Herrmann sits down with space policy expert Kaitlyn Johnson, who walks through the political and scientific realities of the cislunar security environment. Kaitlyn Johnson is a…
Precision-Guided Podcast | NATO at 75
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts In recognition of NATO’s upcoming 75th Anniversary, please join us for a special episode of the Precision-Guided Podcast featuring Professor Stephen Flanagan, a distinguished figure in the field of transatlantic security and defense. Professor Flanagan sits down with hosts Gareth Smythe and Miriam Pasternak to share his insights…
Gendered Disinformation Is Not a “Women-only” Issue, It Poses a Threat to Election Integrity
Image Source: Meedan As two billion citizens across the globe exercise their voting rights this year, the specter of disinformation looms large over election information integrity and outcomes. While public attention is predominantly fixated on combating fake news, AI-powered propaganda, hate speech, and foreign influence operations, gendered disinformation is an overlooked but substantial threat to…
How Gender is Misunderstood, Abused, and Forgotten in Security Policymaking — and What We Can Do About It
Image Source: iStock Policies and projects intended to assist communities that are fragile or affected by violence are more successful when they consider the different effects conflict has on men, women, boys, girls, and gender and sexual minorities. – United States Institute for Peace Women’s History Month is a complicated month for me. On one…
Fighting Fire with Fire: Opportunities for NATO’s Use of AI to Defend Against AI-Assisted Disinformation
Image Source: AI-generated (dream.ai) “The question is no longer whether [artificial intelligence] deepfakes could affect elections, but how influential they will be,” according to experts. None are more prominent in the field of disinformation than the Russians, who have set their sights on Europe and her upcoming elections. As artificial intelligence (AI) stands to accelerate…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Elon Musk Does Not Own Outer Space
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts The establishment of the U.S. Space Force, NATO’s designation of space as an operational warfighting domain, and rising private sector participation signal a critical juncture. As more nations acquire space capabilities, the outer space domain appears poised to become the next frontier of international insecurity. Nicole Butler (SSP’25)…
Giving Dracula Some Teeth: Modernizing Romania’s Military
Image Source: Military Images Romania has been affected by the dramatically deteriorated security situation in Europe, precipitated primarily by the specter of Russian imperialism. The first Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of the entirety of Ukraine in 2022 brought national defense to the top of the political agenda. Due to…
Rearming at Sea: Yesterday’s Necessity
Image Source: Naval News Mounting crises across the Middle East, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and the growing challenge of credibly deterring the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Indo-Pacific all increasingly strain the United States’ rapidly depleting munitions stockpiles. The United States should invest in expanding its munitions stockpiles and strengthening its defense-industrial…
Why U.S.-U.K. Nuclear Cooperation is More Important than Ever
Image Source: U.S. Department of Defense With the risk of nuclear escalation at its most significant since the Cold War, the 1958 U.S.-U.K. Mutual Defense Agreement (MDA) will expire at the end of this year. The treaty, specifically its Article III, has long authorized the special sale of nuclear materials to Britain, forming not just…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Toeing the Line with Spyware
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts Spyware threatens encryption and presents unique regulatory and security challenges for governments and citizens worldwide. Host Kellsie Herrmann sits down with Mike Sexton, an expert on technology and security policy at the think tank Third Way and SSP alumnus, to discuss spyware’s risks and opportunities as a surveillance…
Prosecuting Asimov’s Nightmare: Killer Robots and the Law of War
Image Source: AI generated image (dream.ai) The United States and China are in a breathless race to master artificial intelligence (AI), accrue its benefits, and, in so doing, gain an advantage over the other. They are sprinting to rub a proverbial magic lamp, release its genie, and have their technological wishes granted. And, why not?…
Precision-Guided Podcast | La Bérézina: a Frenchman’s Review of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts Host Gareth Smythe sits down with Joseph Lee to discuss his recent Georgetown Security Studies Review article “La Bérézina: a Frenchman’s Review of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon.” Gareth and Joseph discuss the legacy of Napoleon in France, Corsica, and abroad, the historical inaccuracies of Ridley Scott’s portrayal, and why…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Highlighting the Overlooked Elements of African Security
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts As major powers like China, Russia, and the United States increasingly compete for influence, how is it shaping the security dynamics across Africa? Host Iku Tsujihiro invites guest Ashliyn Burgos, an analyst at the Department of Defense, to discuss African security and her insights on the growing relationship…
Precision-Guided Podcast | The Peloponnesian War and Maritime Security with John Maurer
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts To look at the present, it pays to study the past. No past conflict is more foundational to the field of international relations and security studies than the Peloponnesian War. The Peloponnesian War (431 BCE – 404 BCE) was fought between Greek city-states Athens and Sparta. Why is…
From Laboratories to Language Models: Can AI Support Rigor in the Jungle of Policy Analysis?
Image Source: DALL·E 3 (Via ChatGPT) Policymakers navigate deep uncertainty when dealing with national security and foreign policy dilemmas. Compared to some fields of engineering and traditional “hard sciences” (e.g., physics, medicine), intelligence analysts and political scientists are often unable to test their claims via rigorous experiments or other well-defined and reliable procedures. As a…
GSSR Volume 11, Issue 2 Available for Download
The Georgetown Security Studies Review Volume 11 Issue 2 is also available on DigitalGeorgetown. If you are interested in publishing with the GSSR in future editions or on our online forum, please view our ‘Contribute’ page or contact the Editor-in-Chief at gssr@georgetown.edu. Uncollated individual articles can be found below: Gina M Bennett, “Of Lice and Men: America…
Out of Depth: Strengthening American Conventional Deterrence by Expanding Magazine Depth
Image Source: Militarnyi Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscores a dire reality –conventional military conflicts are resurging globally without prospects for abatement. The deterioration of the security landscape should move the United States to rethink its kinetic deterrence capabilities. While the United States retains the world’s premier fighting force, a lack of magazine depth – the…
A New Turn for BRI in South Asia?
Image Source: Wikimedia Fall 2023 marked the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, first announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan in 2013. The BRI consists of a series of infrastructure projects, including ports, power plants, and rails, that support maritime and overland routes across Eurasia. It serves as an extension of…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Reimagining a More Secure Arctic with Dr. Jeremy Mathis
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts The Arctic is becoming an increasingly turbulent arena for global geopolitics. Consequences of climate change are rapidly changing the region, sparking more opportunities for global powers to assert territorial claims, promote tourism, and push forward with research –often to the detriment of indigenous populations and the environment. Without…
Fentanyl and National Security: How the Opioid Crisis Intersects with Foreign Relations
Image Source: Bloomberg The November 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco spurred renewed collaboration against the global fentanyl crisis. Notably, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in separate bilateral meetings, intending to mend deteriorated diplomatic relations that in recent years hindered…
Breaking the Ice: The Prospect of a Joint Nordic Military
Submitted as a guest post by Gauti Jónsson, a student in the Security Studies Program (SSP). Image Source: Finish Defense Force In March 2023, leaders of the Nordic air forces of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland signed a joint declaration to integrate their collective air forces in the coming years. This so-called ‘Air Commanders’ Intent’…
Winning the Race: The Case for Counterintelligence against Chinese Espionage
Image Source: Ars Technica Aesop’s fable, “the Tortoise and the Hare,” famously warns us about the dangers of arrogance and complacency in the face of a determined adversary. Unfortunately, in the modern race for supremacy between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), it appears that American policymakers and executives have failed…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Imposter Syndrome with Alani Bankhead
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts Have you experienced feelings of self-doubt or inadequacy, especially after a major life transition like starting graduate school or starting a new job? If so, you could have been experiencing imposter syndrome. Our guest, Alani Bankhead, a career supervisory special agent and professional coach, explains how to recognize…
Open-Source Datasets: A Double-Edged Sword
Image Source: Pexels. In late December, a New York Times article highlighted a new artificial intelligence (AI) program run by the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Ministry of State Security, the PRC’s primary intelligence agency. The article details that the PRC acquired an AI program that can create “instant dossiers on every person of interest…
Oceans Are Now Battlefields: The Houthis, Israel, and the Limits of U.S. Military Power
Image: NBC News At around 9:00 PM EST on January 11, news agencies around the world began reporting that the U.S. and five of its allies struck at least twelve military targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. However, Yemen hardly makes national news, besides coverage of the horrific famine that has gripped the country for…
Tip of the Spear: Analyzing Ukrainian Intelligence Operations Behind Russian Lines
Image Source: Ukrainform. Image of a knife and the sidearm purportedly used by the SBU to assassinate Ukrainian collaborator Ilya Kyva in Moscow. Over the past two years, the gaze of the world has largely fixated on the stalemated nature of fighting on the ground in eastern and southern Ukraine. As successes and failures are…
Precision-Guided Podcast | “Power Up” with Steven Leonard and Jonathan Klug
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts Superhero tales captivate us through their exploration of human nature and their reminder of our duty to improve the communities around us. These themes underpin the timely anthology Power Up: Leadership, Character, and Conflict Beyond the Superhero Multiverse, where the iconic Avengers battle scene and ethos of the…
Movie Review | La Bérézina: a Frenchman’s Review of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon
Submitted as a guest post by Joseph Lee, a student in the Security Studies Program (SSP). I must confess that when Ridley Scott announced a new movie about Napoléon Bonaparte, I was overwhelmed with excitement. As a former student at King’s College London, I had seen the images of Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix dressed…
AUKUS: Impossible to Break – Strengthening Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific
Image Source: Australian Insitute of International Affairs Announced in September 2021, AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The ‘big ticket’ is Australia’s acquisition of at least eight nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed submarines (SSNs). However, AUKUS is more than improved capabilities. Specifically, AUKUS broadens joint military exercises and rotations,…
Can a Tiny Country Make a Difference in the Indo-Pacific?
Image Source: Unsplash Small, strategically located countries like Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, can play an outsized role in shaping international affairs and alliances. A country strategically located between Indonesia and Australia, which gained independence from the former in 2002, can be a valuable partner in maintaining Indo-Pacific security. As the People’s Republic of…
Precision-Guided Podcast | How Domestic Terrorism Hurts America and the World
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts During the Global War on Terror after 9/11, the United States frequently criticized other states for exporting extremism. In recent years, however, it is the US that has seen an expansion of far-right extremism spread within its country. As some American allies have designated groups within the United…
U.S. Economic Restrictions on China: Small Yard, High Fence?
Image Source: Reuters The Biden administration claims the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is leveraging its technological capabilities to promote its authoritarian governance model, modernize its military, and privilege its interests and values in the international system. As part of its efforts to address this challenge, the administration has singled out certain technologies as having…
Why the Latest Mediatic Kidnapping in Colombia Showcases the Immaturity of Negotiations with the ELN
Image Source: Diario La Opinión In early November, the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN), one of the oldest and most powerful Colombian guerrillas, claimed responsibility for kidnapping the parents of acclaimed football player Luis Díaz in Barrancas, Colombia. While the ELN released Díaz’s mother soon after the abduction, the guerrillas held Díaz’s…
A New Century: Turkey’s Pursuit of Regional Economic Power Upon its 100th Anniversary
Image Source: Crisis Group On October 29th, Turkey celebrated the 100th anniversary of its establishment as a secular, Western-facing nation. However, since Ataturk’s founding of the modern Turkish state, Turkey has shifted from a Western-leaning, secular nation to one that is increasingly religious and disinterested in aligning with Western geopolitics and expectations. Particularly since the…
A Growing Liability: Reevaluating U.S. Deployments in Iraq and Syria
Image Source: Military Times Since the start of the Gaza Crisis nearly two months ago, Iranian-backed proxies have subjected approximately 3,400 American troops in Iraq and Syria to an almost constant barrage of attacks. At a time when the United States is deploying considerable additional forces to the Middle East in hopes of deterring a…
Ethiopia: How A Gendered Lens Can Help Food Aid Distribution
Image Source: care.org On November 14, 2023, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced its decision to partially resume a year-long food assistance trial period in Ethiopia after a months-long pause. U.S. food aid to Ethiopia was paused in June after a coordinated plan by the Ethiopian government came to light: government officials…
De-Risking, The Lobito Corridor, and the United States’ Approach to African Development
Image Source: Bloomberg YouTube Video Catalyzed by geopolitical competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States is approaching issues like the production and use of potentially strategic technologies as key national security issues. This recalibration, known as “de-risking,” has highlighted the vital concern of supply chain…
Burnt Out: Rethinking U.S. Wildfire Fighting Strategy
Image Source: U.S. Fire Administration Wildfire in the United States is reaching a crisis point. As global climate change continues, every fire season is becoming longer and drier. However, despite the growing risk, the United States still relies on old methods of firefighting and inefficient organizations to coordinate responses. To prepare for a fire-filled future,…
Russian Propaganda: Adapting to Russian Channels’ Ban in Lithuania
Image Source: Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats The use of information as a tool to influence foreign audiences is a tale as old as time. The creation and spread of technology may have amplified the process, but the purpose of disseminating information remains the same – shape public opinion, sow discord, undermine trust, and…
The Strategic Rationale for Brazil’s Nuclear Submarine Does Not Hold Water
Image Source: Reuters As the AUKUS security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States continues to make headlines with its nuclear-powered submarines, another non-nuclear weapon state’s pursuit of the same capability went unnoticed. On October 4th, the Brazilian state-owned defense company Itaguaí Construções Navais and the Brazilian Navy cut the first steel…
Precision-Guided Podcast | “Next War” with Colonel (ret.) John Antal
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts It is evident that the nature of warfare has evolved, as demonstrated by the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. Exponential technological acceleration is driving much of this change: multi-domain sensors are making the battlespace transparent, long-range precision munitions can accurately hit any observed target, and autonomous weapons…
Not Made in China: Multilateral Alternatives to the Belt and Road Initiative
Image Source: India Today Preparing for the September 2023 G20 summit in Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi staked his leadership reputation on a successful event, marketing his government as a ‘Voice of the Global South’ and gaining the African Union’s inclusion into the conference. Despite the notable lack of Chinese and Russian heads of…
A Possible Vanguard for Security Cooperation? The Crisis in Cabo Delgado and the Potential for Positive Engagement with the African Continent
Image Source: International Policy Digest Among the multiplicity of security crises that beset the African continent, the rising jihadist insurgency in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado often escapes the global spotlight. However, it stands as a solemn vigil of the complex security dilemmas confronting numerous African nations. This overlooked conflict, rooted in a confluence of historical…
The Burden Women Bear: Israel-Hamas War Sheds Light on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Experienced by Israeli & Palestinian Women
Image Source: Flash90 The war outbreak between Israel and Hamas introduces a grim development in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The October 7th attack heightened existing tensions and brought pertinent conversations to the forefront – namely, the disproportionate impact security crises have on women. As of 2022, over 600 million women and girls reside in conflict…
Israel vs. Hamas: What Should Be the United States’ Role?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hugs President Biden in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, October 18. Image Source: Axios The Israel-Hamas war has dominated headlines and captured the attention of audiences around the world. Since Hamas launched its unwarranted and unprecedented surprise attack on Israel on October 7, the ensuing fighting has claimed thousands of lives…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Rethinking National Security: The Hunter/Gatherer Theory
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts In a world increasingly polarized and facing complex challenges like climate change, distrust in institutions, and great power competition, it is vital to move beyond apathy and fear and rethink how we approach security. Kellsie Herrmann (SSP’ 24) hosts Professor Gina Bennett, a renowned former member of the…
A Network of Possibilities: How the Haqqani Network Changed the Face of Global Terrorism Forever
A Taliban fighter holds a poster of Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani Network. Image Source: The National, US. There is little contention over the fact that Al-Qaeda’s attack on U.S. soil in September 2001 tops the list of the deadliest terrorist attacks in history. However, despite the group’s deadly reputation that spurred decades…
Thinking Like a General: Wargaming with Sebastian Bae
Image Source: AI-generated image On September 30, 2023, Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program (SSP) held a skills-based professional workshop on wargaming led by adjunct professor Sebastian Bae. A game designer on the Gaming and Integration Team at the Center for Naval Analyses, Professor Bae led a workshop to introduce students to the foundational principles of…
Mad Max: Climate Change, the Panama Canal, and U.S. National Security
Image Source: Shutterstock Rodolfo Sabonge served for 27 years as the Vice President for Planning and Development at the Panama Canal Authority. During the keynote remarks for the annual Climate Mobility Summit in September 2022, Mr. Sabonge briefly discussed the scenario design work he and his team undertook in the mid-1990s. Each scenario demonstrated the…
Guest Column: The Future of Palestine Project
Image Source: PRESSCOV By David L. Phillips, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program specializing in conflict resolution. He served as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs during the Iraq War. International partners of the Palestinian people must start working now to envision a stable,…
Geopolitics in the Babyhouse: How the Kremlin uses Adopted Orphans to advance its Foreign Policy Agendas
Image Source: RFE/RL “I didn’t want to go, but no one asked me,” remarked a Ukrainian orphan deported to Russia after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. These tragic words represent thousands of Ukrainian children severed from their homeland. In 2022, Russian government forces began deporting more Ukrainian orphans to Russia and expedited the process for…
Mobilized, Forgotten, Ignored: Russia’s Control Mechanisms of its Minority Populations Amid the Russo-Ukrainian War
A still image from an April 2023 Russian military ad portrays Russian soldiers with the words translating to, “You are a man. Be him.” Image Source: Russian Ministry of Defense. Listen to the full article and get additional insights from the author: The recruitment ad for the Russian military, released in the spring of 2023,…
The United States’ Semiconductor Export Controls at One Year: Is the PRC Racing Forward?
Image Generated Using DALL-E 3 On October 7, 2022, the United States Department of Commerce announced a series of export controls that signaled a marked shift in U.S. policy and a new era of global technology competition. These restrictions aim to curb two crucial exports to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The first target…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Going Green or Red? The West’s Reliance on Chinese Renewable Energy
Apple Podcast | Sportify | Google Podcast The global effort to “go green” is creating dependency on Chinese renewable energy due to its market dominance. While transitioning to environmentally friendly energy alternatives is crucial, should the West pursue renewable energy even if it means increasing dependency on China? Can the West protect the environment and…
Precision-Guided Podcast | A New Era For Nuclear Deterrence in Northeast Asia with Dr. Keir Lieber
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts The DPRK’s nuclear missile program is growing every day. The DPRK has recently conducted a number of missile tests to the alarm of the ROK and Japan. Does the growing threat of the DPRK’s missile program destabilize the security balance in Northeast Asia? Does the PRC’s nuclear program…
Precision-Guided Podcast | Connecting Climate, Energy, and Security with Kate Gordon
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts The destabilizing effects of global climate change represent key security challenges for the United States. These challenges manifest at both the strategic level, in how climate impacts global trends like instability and mass migration, and at the tactical level, in how climate can threaten critical national security infrastructure…
GSSR Volume 11, Issue 1 Available for Download
Volume 11, Issue 1 of The Georgetown Security Studies Review is now available. View and download the issue here. Georgetown Security Studies Review Volume 11 Issue 1 If you are interested in publishing with the GSSR in future editions or on our online forum, please view our “Contribute” page or contact the Editor-in-Chief at gssr@georgetown.edu. Uncollated individual…
Book Review | Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in an Age of Endless, Invisible War by Phil Klay
This Book Review was submitted as a guest post by Patrick Jourdan, a student in the Security Studies Program (SSP). In the Summer of 2021, America watched the evacuation of Afghanistan. Terrifying images of Hamid Karzai International Airport filled our screens almost every day. Marines and Paratroopers deployed to the most chaotic of situations, holding…
Ending Gender-based Violence Requires Comprehensive Engagement — A Reminder to men: Finish what you Started
Image Source: Women for Women In principle, the civil war in South Sudan ended after a peace agreement was signed in 2018. In principle, South Sudan’s constitution ensures a 35 percent representation quota for women in government. Again, in principle, initiatives, training, and bills such as the Gender-Based Violence Bill and the Women’s Empowerment Bill…
Precision-Guided Podcast: Bringing National Security Insight into the Private Sector with Mark Freedman
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts There have never been as many security issues facing American business as there are today. Threats from international insecurity, great power competition, and new tools like cyber and AI that allow malign actors to destabilize from a distance face nations and companies alike. This trend is especially concerning…
ARROS: A Universal Framework for Scrutinizing Policy Pros and Cons
Image Generated Using MidJourney AI Policymakers and researchers frequently grapple with complex questions of the form “will taking X action produce Q effect—and how good/bad is Q?” For example, lobbyists or researchers may claim that semiconductor export controls will accelerate China’s indigenization of semiconductor manufacturing, accepting Finland into NATO will increase the likelihood of nuclear…
The Need for Private Investment to Tackle Climate Change in Africa
Image Source: Focal Foto The evidence is clear: within ten years the world is likely to surpass the 1.5°C global warming threshold. Surpassing this threshold will significantly endanger natural systems and will be accompanied by major climate catastrophes. Even if the threshold is avoided, climate change will have a significant – although highly disproportionate –…
China’s Monopoly over Critical Minerals
Image Source: BBC As part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken to investing in critical mineral mines globally. One of these investment hotspots is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2020, the DRC was the world’s largest cobalt miner, producing 41 of all cobalt resources. Although not…
Dr. Policymaker or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Question “Market Irrationality”
Image Created by MidJourney AI The passage of the CHIPS and Science Act and economic competition between the United States and China over strategic technologies have reinvigorated the exploration of “industrial policy” as a means to bolster national security. With such attention comes an onslaught of ideological rhetoric, references to the “valley of death”, and…
To Centralize or Not to Centralize? For Defense Budgeting, that is the (Unwritten) Question
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons On March 9, 2023, the Biden administration submitted its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 defense budget request to Congress, totaling $842 billion. This budget represents a $26 billion increase over the FY 2023 budget and largely centers on deterrence and warfighting vis-à-vis China in the Indo-Pacific region. Despite widespread agreement on the…
Zambia: A Beacon of Democracy in Africa
Image Source: Salim Dawood/AFP/ via Getty Images, on PBS. US Vice President Kamala Harris and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. President Joe Biden convened the second Summit for Democracy last month. This time, the U.S. government co-hosted the virtual event with regional partners, including the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Zambia. The…
Raids, Rockets, and Riots: The Accelerating Cycle of Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Image Source: BBC On April 5, violence broke out between local Israeli police and Palestinians at al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City of East Jerusalem, resulting in at least 12 Palestinians injured and at least 400 arrested. Every year tensions between Palestinians and Israeli citizens as well as Israeli security forces flare up during the…
Climate Change and Boots on the Ground: A New Frontier for Humanitarian Intervention?
Image source: Department of Defense. U.S. Marines and Nepalese soldiers unload tarps off of a UH-1Y Venom helicopter at Orang, Nepal, during Operation Sahayogi Haat, May 2015. Climate change is now at the forefront of the Pentagon’s priorities. So far, the U.S. military’s mission on climate change mitigation has focused on cleaning up and developing…
PeaceBot: ChatGPT’s Role in Conflict Prevention & Resolution
Image Source: University of Pennsylvania Our ways of waging war have evolved; it is time our ways of waging peace do as well. It’s been over a year since Russia started its war against Ukraine, and it’s not likely to end anytime soon. Despite the odds, Ukraine has managed to hold its ground, thanks in…
The United States Rights a Wrong with Critical Minerals Agreements
Image Source: California Chamber of Commerce The Biden administration’s 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS) says China is “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge” and “the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it.” Two key parts of the U.S. strategy towards…
Can Office Work Destroy the Taliban?
Image Source: World Press Photo In August 2021, the United States and its allies evacuated Kabul after twenty years of what the Department of Defense (DoD) described as waging “a necessary war of self-defense” following the September 11 attacks. In the words of former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in 2002, the United…
GSSR Interview: Under Secretary of the Army Hon. Gabe Camarillo
Image Source: U.S. Army Official Photo The Georgetown Security Studies Review recently had the privilege of conducting an interview with Hon. Gabe Camarillo, the under secretary of the Army. The broad topics covered reflect the most pressing issues facing the U.S. Army, as well as the under secretary’s recent trip to Eastern Europe. In light…
T-minus 6 Seconds: Starship (and Humanity’s) Next Major Step Into Space
Image Source: Screenshot from SpaceX livefeed of April 20 Starship Launch NASA liked to brag when its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launched last fall that its 8.8 million pounds of thrust made it the most powerful rocket to ever take off. That record was broken on April 20 when at T-minus six seconds SpaceX’s…
China, Too, Is Gearing Up for Tech Competition
Xi Jinping takes his oath of office to begin his third term as president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Source: Reuters It is no secret that the United States views the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a near-peer competitor. As the Biden administration describes, China has both the intent and the capability…
Security at the Expense of Human Rights: The Case of El Salvador’s “Megacárcel”
Image Source: CNN At the end of February, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced the transfer of the first 2,000 prisoners to the “biggest prison in the Americas,” the “Terrorism Containment Center” (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo – CECOT). The opening of this “megacárcel” (mega prison) is just one of the measures Bukele has undertaken under…
Analyzing the Entrenchment of Beijing’s Digital Influence in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Image Source: Middle East Eye The last several years have seen a steep accumulation of linkages between China and the Arab Gulf monarchies. As China’s energy demands have exploded and oil demand from the West has fallen, the oil-exporting Gulf countries have turned eastwards. China is now Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner and Riyadh has…
Globalized Crises: The War in Ukraine and COVID-19’s Impact on Al-Shabaab Recruitment
Mogadishu, Somalia. Image Source: Reuters via The Guardian East Africa is a terrorist hotbed—surpassing the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa for the most terrorist deaths in 2022. Sixty percent of the global terrorist attacks in this region occur because of the many Salafi-Jihadist terrorist groups. Al-Shabaab, the second deadliest group of 2022, operates…
NATO Needs a Unified Arctic Command
The security landscape of the Arctic is changing. After almost three decades as an afterthought in the eyes of U.S. policymakers, Arctic security is finally catching the attention of American leadership. Rapid climate change and increased military and non-military interest in the region, even from non-Arctic nations, calls for increased coordination between the United States…
Why Russia’s Hypersonics Matter
Image Source: Defense News On Thursday, March 9, Russian MiG-31 fighters employed 6 hypersonic Kh47M2 “Kinzhal” missiles in strikes on population centers and infrastructure across Ukraine. This brought the total instances of hypersonic missile use in Ukraine to five (3/19-20/2022; 8/7/2022; 9/14/2022). The March 9 attack represented the highest-volume use of Kinzhals so far, with…
Data’s Wild West: How Unregulated Access and Advanced Processing Threaten Personal Privacy
Image Source: Anura The 7-day journey of the Chinese spy balloon from Alaska to South Carolina captivated the attention of millions of Americans. While the mission and payload of the airship remain unclear, the low-tech platform likely provided two key advantages over existing satellite capabilities: proximity to targets and persistence for surveillance collection. The public…
Icarus in the Kremlin: The Fading Political Power of Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group
Yevgeny Prigozhin posing with Wagner fighters in a salt mine in Soledar, Ukraine in January 2023. Image Source: Kyiv Independent A group of Wagner fighters huddled around their patron, bundled in combat fatigues and balaclavas amidst a backdrop of chalk-colored rock. Russian state media reposted the image with glee, accompanied by an audio message from…
The Dragon, the Elephant, and the Jaguar Both Wanted to Tame
Image Source: Vivekanandia International Foundation. Image modified by the author. Guyana is a kaleidoscope of unresolved mysteries in a continent it barely resembles. The country lies geographically in South America. However, no one with a good knowledge of the region would ascribe it to Latin America. Guyanese speak English as lingua franca, yet they are…
Funding Tomorrow’s Terrorists and Criminals: Cryptocurrency’s Impact on the World Stage
Image Source: SecurityIntelligence In January 2009, Bitcoin became the first cryptocurrency available for public purchase. However, it wasn’t until two years later that the cryptocurrency saw its first real spike in popularity when the value reached (and passed) $1. Since the introduction of Bitcoin, over 21,000 different cryptocurrencies have popped up in the market, and…
Venezuela Sanctions: The U.S. Needs to Change its Goals
Photo credit: FreightWaves Between 2017 and 2019, former U.S. President Donald Trump instituted comprehensive economic sanctions against the Nicolás Maduro-led Venezuelan government, cutting off access to the U.S. financial system and freezing government assets, among others. The Trump administration also sanctioned state-owned oil gas company PDVSA, state-owned gold mining company, Minerven, and the Central Bank…
Blame Governments, Not the Environment: How Political Failures Worsen the Effects of Climate Change in West Africa
With seven coups since 2020, West Africa is drawing global attention as a hotspot for conflict and a critical locus of discourse on climate security. Rising temperatures and scarce rainfall have amplified the dangerous effects of weak governance, ethnic rivalries, lack of economic opportunities, and violent extremism in the region. Government policy failures in the…
Will the EU Show Resolve or Indecision?
Source: Andrezj Rostek/Shutterstock.com The coming year will be critical for Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression. The Ukrainian people have undoubtedly shown their resilience and fortitude to fight for their sovereignty against Russian hostility. The question remains whether their fellow Europeans will continue to support them in this fight. So far, the U.K. has…
From ChatGPT to Chat CCP: The Future of Generative AI Models in China
Only three months into its release, ChatGPT has already created a frenzy among people around the world. Source: Reuters Chinese regulators recently warned tech companies not to release ChatGPT-like products, for fear that chatbots would spread “disinformation” by the U.S. government. With all the hype surrounding OpenAI’s natural language model setting off an “AI Arms…
The Case for a Nuclear South Korea
President Yoon Suk Yeol pays respect to the late president Park Chung-hee, who attempted to build a nuclear weapon during the 1970s but was thwarted by American intervention. Office of the President of the Republic of Korea For the first time, a South Korean president officially mentioned the possibility of his country going nuclear. Although…
What are we doing in Ukraine?
Unrestrained and uncoordinated Western support would go against American and European national interests, undermining Europe’s defense capabilities and escalating the risk of nuclear confrontation with Russia. On Wednesday, 25th of January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz ended weeks of frustration amongst Western states by announcing Germany’s intent to provide Ukraine with an undisclosed number of Leopard…
How Will Automation Change Ground Warfare?
Image Source: Defense News // via Textron Logistics pose the most significant challenge to any military operation. It seems like a simple concept until you factor in the enemy, personnel constraints, maintenance issues, and the operational plan. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) can help solve some of our ground transportation problems. So, where does vehicle automation…
America’s Fading Sense of Reality
Russia has inherited a perception of truth that is malleable and changeable over time, one that can be adapted to current needs. Under the Putin regime, the conspiratorial worldview of ‘Russia perpetually under threat by the West’ has been revived on a broad scale, and it is slowly impacting Americans’ perception of truth and reality.…