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ISN
ETH Zurich
International Relations and Security Network www.isn.ethz.ch
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This Week at ISN Our Weekly Editorial Roundup
21 25 July 2014 JUMP TO Security Watch | Blog | Video
/// Security Watch
This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series wonders what type of threat Argentina poses to the
Falkland Islands; whether the West should be cooperating more with Syrias Bashar al-Assad; whether Canada really
needs its four submarines; whether Afghanistan remains the focal point of Central Asian security; and why its important
for the US Army to manage its complex information systems effectively. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW
series, we consider whether Malaysias diplomatic relations with China are gradually changing; if the Ukraine crisis has
indeed ushered in a new era of great-power rivalry; what are the take-aways from Gabrielle Hechts study of post-Cold
War technopolitics; how economic statecraft and power redistribution fluctuates during wartime; and what the next
generation of non-proliferation initiatives might look like. More
What Threat Does Argentina Currently Pose to the Falklands?
21 July 2014
Is Argentina militarily strong enough to assault the Falkland Islands anytime soon? Neil Thompson doesn't think so. But
that doesn't mean that Buenos Aires can't launch an aggressive 'lawfare' campaign to undermine the United Kingdom's
sovereignty over the Islands. More
A Question of Rebalancing: Malaysia's Relations with China
21 July 2014
Malaysias traditional security policy has been to steer clear of great power rivalries. Thats now becoming easier said than
done, says Felix Chang. Chinas growing assertiveness in Southeast Asia is indeed starting to put Kuala Lumpurs
customary approach to the test More
Should the West Work with Assad?
22 July 2014
According to Frederick Hof, there are two sides to the controversial "let's do business with Assad" argument. The first
imagines that the Syrian president has won his war, at least in part. The second assumes that the threat posed by ISIS is
monstrous enough to warrant working with the Assad regime. More
The Ukraine Crisis and the Resumption of Great-Power Rivalry
22 July 2014
As Dmitri Trenin sees it, the Ukraine crisis has rekindled a rivalry between the US and Russia that's already comparable to
the 19th century's Great Game. He also warns that Moscow is trying to offset its increasingly hostile relations with the
West by improving its economic and military ties with China. More
Does Canada Need Submarines?
23 July 2014
Michael Byers is absolutely convinced under no circumstances should the Canadian military invest billions of dollars in a
next-generation submarine. If anything, Ottawa should decommission the four Victoria-class submarines it has and
replace them with new offshore patrol vessels. More
Gabrielle Hecht on Nuclear Ontologies, De-provincializing the Cold War, and Postcolonial
Technopolitics
23 July 2014
As a researcher, Gabrielle Hecht studies the unexpected ways in which the world's 'nuclear condition' affects its politics. In
this Theory Talk, she further explores what it means for a nation 'to be nuclear', why we must 'de-provincialize' our
analyses of the Cold War, and why it's important to study technopolitics. More
The Regional Dimension of Central Asian Security Cooperation
24 July 2014
Over the last twelve years, the security dynamics of Central Asia have been dominated by Afghanistan. Not anymore,
argues David Erkomaishvili. The region's security calculations are already being dominated by more traditional ethnic,
tribal and sectarian concerns. More
Another Kind of Victory: Wartime Economic Statecraft
24 July 2014
Wars create financial dependencies that powerful creditor nations often exploit. That's certainly true of the United States,
writes Rosella Cappella Zielinski. In World War I and II, it capitalized on Great Britain's financial vulnerabilities for its own
geopolitical gain. More
Hurtling Toward Failure: Complexity in Army Operations
25 July 2014
US Army continues to rely on technology as a way to cope with battlefield uncertainty. That's all well and good, argues
Donald Kingston, but its increased reliance on complex information systems is almost begging for trouble. Yes, it's time for
the army to 'harness' these systems more effectively. More
The Next Generation WMD Nonproliferation Agenda
25 July 2014
The WMD supply chain is moving to parts of the world that have very little interest in the global nonproliferation regime,
warns J ohan Bergenas. That means it's time for an updated nonproliferation agenda that accounts for the socio- economic
needs of developing and emerging nations. More
/// Blog
The African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) a Design without Builders
21 July 2014
In theory, the African Unions APSA should already be preventing, managing and resolving conflicts. In fact, it remains
more of a concept than a reality. According to Olaf Bachmann, thats because AU members have yet to own this regional
peacekeeping mechanism or flesh out one of its key elements. More
Israels Wall: 10 Years Justice Denied
22 July 2014
Rafeef Ziadah argues that not much has changed in the 10 years since the International Court of J ustice declared Israels
West Bank wall a violation of international law. Thanks to the inaction of all concerned, the barrier continues to cast a long
shadow over every aspect of Palestinian life. More
House of Cards and the Depiction of Americas China
23 July 2014
Ben Coulson believes that the popular US television series House of Cards does more than reflect the nature of
domestic politics in America. Parts of it also reveal the popular political narratives that exist about China. More
The Geopolitics of Culture: Five Substrates
24 July 2014
What defines a culture? According to Nayef Al-Rodhan, its the cognitive structures that shape how people view
themselves, relate to the world and react to each other. Fair enough. But how do you then define the geopolitical
relevance of culture? To answer that, you first need to consider its five substrates or underpinnings. More
Sinking the Next-13-Navies Fallacy
25 July 2014
Should the US Navy deploy as much combat power as the worlds next thirteen largest fleets combined? Not according to
J ames Holmes. In his view, the next-13-navies principle not only overemphasizes the importance of size and brute force,
it also makes the US Navy too complacent for its own good. More
/// Video
What We Won: America's Secret War in Afghanistan, 1979-1989
In this video, the Brookings Institution's Bruce Riedel discusses his book, "What We Won: America's Secret War in
Afghanistan, 1979-1989." The text 1) examines both the clandestine and overt intelligence activities the US pursued in the
conflict, 2) highlights the lessons learned from the USs efforts, and 3) speculates on future US-Afghan relations. More
Terrorism and National Security: Proportion or Distortion?
Have Western security services overreacted to the threat posed by global terrorism? Sir Richard Dearlove, who is a former
Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service, believes so. In this video, he explains why too many resources have been
devoted to counter- and anti-terrorism activities and not enough on other, more pressing security problems. More
The Wartime Press: Civil Liberties during War
In this video, a mix of experts and practitioners discuss 1) the historical roles played by US media in times of war, and 2)
the restrictions they've operated under during wartime conditions. More

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