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Bruce Riedel on the US Af-Pak Strategy

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Post date 23/10/2009
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Bruce Riedel chaired the task force who reviewed the US strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan last winter.

The Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS), an ISN partner, has published a podcast of his talk at the Ottawa Roundtable on Security and Intelligence.

After a long career at the CIA and advising three US presidents to the US presidency, Riedel is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

In his talk, he presents the key conclusions of the Af-Pak strategic review released in March 2009. By the way, here is the US white paper summarizing the recommendations which came out of the review.

Riedel also outlines developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the last six months and looks at the direction US policy is likely to, or should, take.

Further ISN resources on the topic:

Special Report on Pakistan, published last month.
Articles by Naveed Ahmad, our correspondent in Afghanistan and Pakistan
President Barack Obama’s speech on the region last August
“Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and US Policy”, a report by the US congressional research service
“America’s Involvement in Afghanistan”, a working paper by the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) in Singapore

Tags Military strategy, Conflict policy, Military operations, Afghanistan, Security, Pakistan, United States of America, Foreign policy

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The Intricate Ways of Cybersecurity

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Post date 21/10/2009
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The CSS Expert Community “Crisis and Risk Network” (CRN) has just released a new report on strategies and policies in the field of Cybersecurity. Based on the cybersecurity strategies of the US, the UK, NATO and other actors, the paper explores what cybersecurity actually means, puts forward possible responses to the perceived threats and discusses that with a focus on the Swiss situation. The authors argue that the underlying problem to cybersecurity policies is that it remains unclear what is threatened, who is threatening, and what the potential consequences of cyberattacks could be.

The paper can be downloaded here.

Tags Security, Cybersecurity, National Security, Government

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SNIS Day 2 – The Policy Relevance of Research

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Post date 19/10/2009
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Video of the podium discussion, SNIS Conference, 16 October 2009

The second day of the SNIS conference was devoted to interaction between the academic and policy worlds (I introduced the conference in my previous post).

While everyone agreed that not all research must necessarily be policy relevant, the participants stressed the need for more cooperation.

The tension between demand-driven research and academic excellence dominated the discussions. On the one hand, research should provide information to help solve practical policy problems. On the other hand however, research must remain independent from the policy realm in order to guarantee objectivity and innovation.

A panelist argued that this tension was very present among European researchers, but that it didn’t bother US academics as much. Fellow Americans, if you read this, how did you solve the problem?

Here are a few (summarized) thoughts from panelists, both academics and policymakers.

Tags International Relations, Government, Research, Conferences

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ISN Weekly Theme: Islam in Southeast Asia

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Post date 14/10/2009
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Muslim girls walking to school in Indonesia, photo: Shreyans Bhansali/flickr

Islam, Islamic politics and religiously motivated violence are usually issues associated with the wider Middle East region or South Asia.

Less visible, yet no less significant is the presence of Islamic politics, tensions and political expression in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

A region marked by immense historical and religious diversity, by painful historical schisms, and in certain cases by an unrivaled dynamism and ability to marry Islam with modernity, Southeast Asia deserves closer inspection and more contextually sensitive analysis.

This week the ISN publishes a Special Report on the issue with a backgrounder on Islam in the region and a case study of the Abu Sayyaf Group in the Philippines.

We have a wealth of further information on the topic in our Digital Library and Current Affairs section- check out:

In our Digital Library, a National Bureau of Asian Research paper examines Islamism in South and Southeast Asia and discusses policy implications for the US.

An Al Naklah article looks at the role if Islam in Acehnese separatism.

In our Current Affairs section, an International Crisis Group briefing examines Indonesian Islamic terrorism and the role of Noordin Top in the July 2009 Jakarta bombings.

In our Links section, check out the website of the National Bureau of Asian Research which analyzes less visible issues related to Islam and Muslim societies in Asia.

And in our IR Directory, the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter Terrorism which trains and builds the capacity of enforcement and security officials from governments in the region and beyond.

Tags Terrorism, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Islam, Indonesia, Southeast Asia

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New Keyword: Nanotechnology

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Post date 09/10/2009
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We just added a new keyword to our content classification system: Nanotechnology. Now how is this relevant to the International Relations community, you may ask.

Chatham House, the venerable British IR institution, has just published three papers about the topic. They address the risks posed by this technology and examine transatlantic regulation efforts. You can download all three papers and more here.

But there is more to nanotechnology than its public policy aspect. In the coming years, I expect to see more papers on applications in the defense, energy, information and health sectors. To give you a taste, Security Watch published an article on Japan’s plans for a elevator into space based on nanotechnology a year ago.

Tags Technology