Israeli aircraft. Photo Credit: Reuters By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya, Columnist Iran’s military and political presence in Syria has steadily increased over the last three years, helping to stabilize the al-Assad regime and also strengthening the Iranian-Syrian relationship. According to the Israeli government, Iran’s attempts to create a paramilitary structure in Syria mirror Iran’s backing of Shia … Continue reading To Defend its Borders, Israel Should Continue Carrying Out Airstrikes in Syria
Category: Topics
China’s Narrative Warfare in East Asia
A fleet of ships sail out at sea as China and Russia's naval joint drill concludes in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China, September 19, 2016. Photo Credit: Reuters By Kevin Truitte, Columnist The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has embarked on an expansion of its regional power in East Asia. The PRC—under the rule of the … Continue reading China’s Narrative Warfare in East Asia
Private Military and Security Companies as Tools of Strategy
Photo by: Pexels.com By: Nikolai F. Rice, Columnist Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) are the modern iteration of private force. Despite a two-century anti-mercenary norm PMSC proliferation has been facilitated by global political, economic, and warfare evolutions.[i] This article briefly examines why and how the United States, Russia, and China rely on and support … Continue reading Private Military and Security Companies as Tools of Strategy
No, China Isn’t Going to Invade Taiwan Any Time Soon
Taipei, Taiwan. Photo By: Getty Images By: Diane Pinto, Columnist A few weeks ago, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) released a report titled, China’s Military Power.[i] The report gives an overview of the communist People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) current military power, changing threat perceptions, and describes the potential for armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait … Continue reading No, China Isn’t Going to Invade Taiwan Any Time Soon
Russian Cyber Operations: Closing the Gap on U.S. Conventional Supremacy
Photo Credit: Getty Images By: Madison Creery, Columnist Last year the U.S. National Defense Strategy highlighted Russia as a central challenge to U.S. national security.[i] Yet, during that same year headlines across the globe predicted Russia’s military modernization program and international influence would soon decline.[ii] A May 2018 announcement claimed that Russia’s 2017 defense budget … Continue reading Russian Cyber Operations: Closing the Gap on U.S. Conventional Supremacy
Policy Options for Fighting Deepfakes
Photo Credit: CNN By: Conrad Stosz, Guest Columnist Advances in machine learning are making it easy to create fake videos—popularly known as “deepfakes”—where people appear to say and do things they never did. For example, a faked video of Barack Obama went viral in April in which he appears to warn viewers about misinformation.[i] Falsehoods already … Continue reading Policy Options for Fighting Deepfakes
Force for Hire: The Private Market for Special Operations Forces
Photos Credit: US Navy By: Taylor Clausen, Columnist Uniformed military forces today are widely considered to be the primary individuals tasked with employing the use of state-sanctioned force. However, in the history of warfare, the soldier has rarely had this monopoly. Mercenaries – today called private military contractors - have continuously been employed by states … Continue reading Force for Hire: The Private Market for Special Operations Forces
REPORT: The Politics of Economic Diversification in Oil-Dependent Autocracies
Dr. Marie Alienor van den Bosch. Photo Credit: Mercatus Center By: Simon Machalek, Reporter On November 26th, Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) hosted a talk by Dr. Marie Alienor van den Bosch, the Center’s Qatar Post-Doctoral Fellow. She also received her PhD in Politics from Princeton University and her MA from CCAS. The … Continue reading REPORT: The Politics of Economic Diversification in Oil-Dependent Autocracies
Diplomatic Spillover Costs Make Leaving the INF Treaty Too Dangerous
Photo Credit: CNN By: Kathryn Long, Columnist On Friday, December 14th, the Russian Mission to the United Nations announced that it had submitted a resolution to the body’s General Assembly in support of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.[i] This follows the October announcement by President Trump that the United States would be exiting the … Continue reading Diplomatic Spillover Costs Make Leaving the INF Treaty Too Dangerous
The Red Sea Insurgency: The Asymmetrical Houthi Threat to the Strategic Waterway
The Houthis’ ongoing asymmetric maritime insurgent tactics threaten security in the southern Red Sea, allowing the Houthis and their Iranian backers to challenge their adversaries in the strategically vital waterway. Photo Credit: AFP By Kevin Truitte, Columnist The war in Yemen approaches its fourth year with little major movement towards a peaceful resolution. Since early 2015, … Continue reading The Red Sea Insurgency: The Asymmetrical Houthi Threat to the Strategic Waterway