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This Week at the ISN

Our Weekly Content Roundup

1418 September 2015

JUMP TO Editorial Plan | Security Watch | Blog | Video

// Security Watch

This week, our hard power-centered Security Watch (SW) series examines the possible impact of the Iran nuclear deal on
NATO's missile defense plans; what Boko Haram's newly-minted alliance with the so-called Islamic State means for the
security of West Africa; what topics will most likely dominate NATO's 2016 Warsaw Summit; how US military officials go
about providing the 'best military advice possible' to their civilian masters; and what's the current and future status of
conventional arms control in Europe. Then, in our second, more wide-ranging SW series, we look at the different costs
and consequences of government surveillance programs; the 20th anniversary of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM); the
desperate state of Armenia's opposition parties; Ethiopia's space program; and why Pakistan's government has to be
more proactive in registering, regulating and even reforming the country's Madrassas.

What Will the Iran Deal Mean for NATO Missile Defense?
14 September 2015

With the Iran nuclear deal now signed and delivered, are NATO's missile defense plans obsolete? Not at all, says Azriel
Bermant. As NATO officials see it, these defense systems are not directed at any one state and they're also designed to
foil ballistic missiles that are armed with chemical, biological, or conventional warheads. More

Beyond Privacy: The Costs and Consequences of Mass Surveillance

14 September 2015

Thus far, the debates surrounding mass communications surveillance have tended to focus on the importance of
preserving privacy rights. Yet, as Esther Kersley reminds us today, the global shift to security by 'remote control' also
comes with other costs and consequences. More

Wilayat West Africa Reboots for the Caliphate

15 September 2015

Jacob Zenn rejects the idea that Boko Haram's recent declaration of allegiance to the so-called Islamic State has
"changed nothing" in West Africa. On the contrary, the pledge confirms that an operational relationship exists between
both organizations and that the renamed Wilayat West Africa now reports to a new emir. More

ASEM at Twenty: The Challenge of Connectivity

15 September 2015

How can the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) retain its relevance in an increasingly interdependent and interconnected
world? Sada Islam thinks the forum should use the institutional, digital and people-to-people links that have emerged over
the past two decades to push for even greater connectivity between both continents.
More

Back to Basics or Just Backwards? An Agenda for NATO's 2016 Warsaw Summit
16 September 2015

Should NATO use next year's Warsaw Summit to confirm that it has gone 'back to basics'? Absolutely not, says Trine
Flockhart. If anything, the Alliance should use the opportunity to put such dangerous rhetoric aside and reaffirm its
commitment to out-of-area operations and crisis management. More

Armenia: Stagnation at Its Utmost

16 September 2015

Armenia's political party system is rapidly deteriorating, warns Alexander Iskandaryan. Not that the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA) minds. Despite its own problems with legitimacy, the lack of political opposition is helping the RPA to
consolidate its grip on power. More

Best Military Advice

17 September 2015

As James Cartwright sees it, providing one's 'best military advice' to senior politicians is part process, part professional
knowledge and part art. Today, the former Vice Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff outlines how this complex task
works and the challenges it entails. More

Ethiopia Sets Sights on Space

17 September 2015

Is Ethiopia's space program a waste of time and money? Not according to Kelsey Berg. In keeping with other space
powers, Addis Ababa hopes its program will stimulate the type of higher education, technology development and
economic growth that will push Ethiopians out of poverty. More

Conventional Arms Control in Europe: Some Thoughts About an Uncertain Future

18 September 2015

How can Europe renew its commitment to conventional arms control? Gregory Govan advocates pursuing 1) weapons
limits that are nation-based rather than aggregated into blocs; 2) data transparency that strikes a balance between
openness and privacy; and 3) a new consultative body that drives the arms control process. More

Curbing Militancy: Regulating Pakistan's Madrassas

18 September 2015

Humaira Israr thinks that Pakistan must invest more heavily in registering, regulating and reforming its religious
seminaries. Failing to do so will only aggravate the country's already-precarious security situation. More

// Blog
After Palmyra, What Can the World Do to Protect Cultural Treasures?
14 September 2015

Indeed, what can the international community do to prevent further attacks on important cultural and historical sites?
Agnieszka Jachec-Neale's recommendations include the embedding of "monuments men" into military operations,
increased training on preservation methods and other options. More

Dirty Money, Damaged Democracy: What to Do?

15 September 2015

As Catalina Perdomo sees it, there's no single or fixed recipe for preventing the flow of 'dirty money' into democratic
politics. However, an important first step would be to acknowledge the corrosive effective that buying influence has,
especially by organized crime. More

Buhari's Make or Break Strategy against Boko Haram

16 September 2015

Has Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari rolled back the power and influence of Boko Haram during his first 100 days
in office? Not really, says Martin Ewi. Despite some high-profile victories, the freeing of abductees and other noteworthy
successes, the Islamist extremist group remains far from defeated. More

(W)Archives: Cooking the Books on the Islamic State and the Viet Cong
17 September 2015

It's been alleged that senior US military officials have skewed their intelligence assessments of the so-called Islamic State
and the threats it poses. As Mark Stout reminds us, this is hardly a new phenomenon. The same thing also happened
during the Vietnam War. More

International Actors and the Inter-Palestinian Reconciliation: Where is the Urgency?

18 September 2015

Should the international community do more to help reconcile Fatah with Hamas? Roland Dittli believes so. After all, the
tensions between both organizations have undermined Palestine's Government of National Consensus (GNC) and more
than complicated relations between Gaza and the West Bank.
More

// Video

A Word from the Intelligence Community

In this video, three senior US intelligence officials discuss 1) the conceptual, organizational and technical adjustments
they're making to deal with the data analysis and collection problems they face; 2) the difficulties they confront in gathering
intelligence on the so-called Islamic State; and 3) how they hope to avoid creating more 'Edward Snowdens' in the future.
More

Terrorism Theater and Social Media

In this video, Stratfor's Fred Burton and Scott Stewart discuss how terrorist groups are using grassroots technologies to
promote their agendas. They also explore how the willingness of terrorists to publicize their deeds online could be used by
counterterrorism agents against them.
More

Power Shift - In Conversation with Hugh White

In this video, Hugh White discusses "Power Shift," an essay he wrote that focuses on China's rise in the Asia-Pacific
region and the impact it could have on the relative power of Australia and the US. White then shifts his focus onto the
debate that has subsequently surrounded the essay and its arguments.
More

// Multimedia Content
Here is a selection of this week's additions to the ISN Digital
Library:

Publications More
// From 9/11 to Da'esh: What Role for the High Representative and the External Dimension of EU Counter-Terrorism
Policies? More
// The Consequences for Russia of the Nuclear Deal With Iran
More
// Conflict in Eastern Europe: From War to Stable Peace More

Videos More
// Cautious and Conflicted: Singapore, Malaysia, and the US Rebalance to Asia
More
//Dealing with Threats in Tumultuous Times: General Jim Mattis More
and the UK: Countering Religious Radicalisation & Extremism More
/Bangladesh
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Audio / Podcasts More

// Henry A Kissinger on the Cold War
More
// Rethinking Defense: Readying the US and UK for Future Military Challenges
More
// First Women Graduate From Army Ranger School
More

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