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Precision-Guided Podcast – Book Talk: “Next War” with Colonel (ret.) John Antal

Precision-Guided Podcast: Rethinking National Security: The Hunter/Gatherer Theory

Precision-Guided Podcast: Going Green or Red? The West’s Reliance on Chinese Renewable Energy

Precision-Guided Podcast: A New Era For Nuclear Deterrence in Northeast Asia with Dr. Keir Lieber

Precision-Guided Podcast: Connecting Climate, Energy, and Security with Kate Gordon

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…

by Bree Megivern December 6, 2023December 2, 2023

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…

by Aaron Dorshow December 5, 2023December 2, 2023

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,…

by Patrick Jourdan December 4, 2023December 2, 2023

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…

by Tamar Chkhartishvili November 30, 2023November 30, 2023

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…

by Shane Ward November 21, 2023November 21, 2023

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…

by Will LaRivee November 20, 2023

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…

by Jakob Grein November 16, 2023November 15, 2023

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…

by Sarah Morgan November 15, 2023November 13, 2023

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…

by Evan Hydock November 14, 2023November 14, 2023

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…

by Apurva Ramakrishnan November 13, 2023November 12, 2023

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…

by Zayna Dembinski November 7, 2023November 6, 2023

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…

by Walter Kunkle October 31, 2023October 31, 2023

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,…

by GSSR Editors October 27, 2023October 27, 2023

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…

by Thea Dunlevie October 26, 2023October 26, 2023

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,…

by nlekkas October 25, 2023November 6, 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…

by Aaron Dorshow October 19, 2023October 24, 2023

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…

by GSSR Editors August 1, 2023August 3, 2023

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…

by Clara de Solages July 26, 2023August 1, 2023

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…

by hdurland June 26, 2023June 24, 2023

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 –…

by arjanvantongerlo June 8, 2023June 7, 2023

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…

by Katherine Wells June 1, 2023May 31, 2023

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…

by hdurland May 15, 2023May 11, 2023

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…

by Christian Trotti May 8, 2023May 3, 2023

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…

by kiseokmichaelkang May 5, 2023May 2, 2023

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…

by Katherine Wells May 4, 2023May 4, 2023

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…

by ambassoli May 3, 2023May 5, 2023

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…

by zoekern4 May 1, 2023May 2, 2023

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…

by Cameron Cavanagh April 26, 2023April 24, 2023

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…

by Isabella Venturini April 24, 2023April 24, 2023

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…

by Christian McNally April 21, 2023April 17, 2023

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…

by Aidan Poling April 20, 2023April 20, 2023

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…

by Channing Lee April 19, 2023April 13, 2023

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…

by Lara Toscana April 17, 2023

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…

by Andrew Chack April 14, 2023April 12, 2023

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…

by ltm29 April 12, 2023April 12, 2023

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…

by GSSR Editors April 10, 2023April 4, 2023

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…

by Philip Sheers April 7, 2023April 4, 2023

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…

by Will LaRivee April 5, 2023April 4, 2023

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…

by nlekkas March 29, 2023March 29, 2023

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…

by Juan Carlos Solano March 27, 2023March 27, 2023

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…

by Abigail (Abby) Smith March 23, 2023March 20, 2023

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…

by Cameron Cavanagh March 21, 2023March 20, 2023

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…

by zoekern4 March 17, 2023March 16, 2023

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…

by Christian Amelia March 6, 2023March 2, 2023

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…

by Channing Lee March 3, 2023March 2, 2023

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…

by kiseokmichaelkang March 2, 2023March 1, 2023

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…

by GSSR Editors February 24, 2023March 1, 2023

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…

by Matthew Revels February 21, 2023February 20, 2023

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.…

by GSSR Editors February 10, 2023February 7, 2023

Reparations and Realpolitik: Lessons from Italy and Libya

Image Source: Eurosport The renewed interest in the consequences of colonialism worldwide sees former European colonial powers face increasing calls to pay reparations to the territories and people they once exploited and governed. This mounting pressure has also sparked a lively debate over what reparations should be and how European countries can deliver them. However,…

by ambassoli February 8, 2023February 7, 2023

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Recent Posts

Ethiopia: How A Gendered Lens Can Help Food Aid Distribution
De-Risking, The Lobito Corridor, and the United States’ Approach to African Development
Burnt Out: Rethinking U.S. Wildfire Fighting Strategy
Russian Propaganda: Adapting to Russian Channels’ Ban in Lithuania
The Strategic Rationale for Brazil’s Nuclear Submarine Does Not Hold Water
Precision-Guided Podcast – Book Talk: “Next War” with Colonel (ret.) John Antal
Not Made in China: Multilateral Alternatives to the Belt and Road Initiative
A Possible Vanguard for Security Cooperation? The Crisis in Cabo Delgado and the Potential for Positive Engagement with the African Continent