Month: September 2018

Can Europe Become a Nuclear Power?

Post author By Manuel Lafont Rapnouil
Post date 28/09/2018
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*Image courtesy of British Ministry of Defence. OGL License.*

The article was originally published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on 3 September 2018.

Only if Europeans resume a serious debate about their responsibilities for their own security

“Do we need the bomb?” asked the front page of Welt am Sonntag, one of Germany’s biggest newspapers, last month. In an essay in the paper, political scientist Christian Hacke answered “yes”, arguing that, “for the first time since 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany is no longer under the United States’ nuclear umbrella.”

Tags Defense, NATO, Nuclear proliferation, Deterrence, European Security

The US-Chinese Trade War Begins

Post author By Börje Ljunggren
Post date 26/09/2018
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*Image courtesy of The White House/Flickr.*

This article was originally published by YaleGlobal Online on 19 September 2018.

In his book Fear, journalist Bob Woodward suggests that Donald Trump’s protectionist instincts may be stronger than previously thought, preventing him from making commercial peace with traditional allies or trade partners. Recent actions against China leave no doubt. Yet, this is not simply the Trump administration directing “protectionist firepower” against China, to quote James Politi of the Financial Times. A geopolitical fight is also emerging about global technological leadership and US ambitions to contain China on this crucial frontier.

Tags Protectionism, United States of America, Economy, Political Leaders and Politicians, International Relations, China, International trade, Trade policy

Why the EU Should Strengthen its Civilian Security Policy

Post author By Christine Nissen
Post date 24/09/2018
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Image courtesy of European Parliament/Flickr. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

This article was originally published by the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) on 6 September 2018.

The security environment of the EU is being subjected to unprecedented challenges by new kinds of threat that require new kinds of responses. Migration pressures, hybrid threats, transnational crime and terrorism can only be managed by adopting a comprehensive approach that combines civilian, military, economic and political aspects.

Tags European Union, Security, Security policy, Migration, Terrorism, Transnational crime, Security threats

Cyber

Beyond Killer Robots: How Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Resilience in Cyber Space

Post author By Michael Sulmeyer
Post date 21/09/2018
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*Image courtesy of orihaus/Flickr. (CC BY 2.0)*

This article was originally published by War on the Rocks on 6 September 2018.

Recently, one of us spent a week in China discussing the future of war with a group of American and Chinese academics. Everyone speculated about the role of artificial intelligence (AI), but, surprisingly, many Chinese participants equated AI almost exclusively with armies of killer robots.

Popular imagination and much of current AI scholarship tend to focus, understandably, on the more glamorous aspects of AI — the stuff of science fiction and the Terminator movies. While lethal and autonomous weapons have been a hot topic in recent years, this is only one aspect of war that will change as artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated. As Michael Horowitz wrote in the Texas National Security Review, AI itself will not manifest just as a weapon; rather, it is an enabler that can support a broad spectrum of technologies. We agree: AI’s most substantial impacts are likely to fly under the radar in discussions about its potential. Therefore, a more holistic conversation should acknowledge AI’s potential effects in cyber space, not by facilitating cyber attacks, but rather by improving cyber security at scale through increased asset awareness and minimized source code vulnerabilities.

Tags United States of America, Cybersecurity, Robotic technology, Defense, Cyberspace, Artificial Intelligence

CSS Blog

Main Migration Routes to Europe in 2017

Post author By the Center for Security Studies
Post date 20/09/2018
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This graphic maps the main routes of irregular migration into Europe during 2017 and the first half of 2018 as well as the top three nationalities of migrants using these routes. For more on changing migration trends and EU migration policy, see Lisa Watanabe’s latest addition to the CSS Analyses in Security Policy series here. For more CSS charts, maps and graphics, click here.

Tags Migration, Europe