2018

Military Mobilization
commentary
Exploring the Allied Decisions on Military Mobility in Europe
Marta Kepe @martakepe
Jul 27, 2018
Defense News
Debates about defense expenditure and concerns over the unity of NATO overshadowed decisions on defense and deterrence in Europe made during the recent NATO summit and European Council meetings. Both high-level events brought significant and tangible conclusions with potential impacts on defense, deterrence, and readiness in Europe.
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Nuclear Terrorism
commentary
Is the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism Distracting Attention from More Realistic Threats?
Antonia Ward
Jul 27, 2018
Georgetown Security Studies Review
A nuclear terrorist attack is currently not a realistic threat. It would require an unprecedented level of sophistication from terrorists. The majority of terrorist attacks are conducted with conventional explosives.
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Attempts to Order Geopolitics Have a Sobering History
Ali Wyne
Jul 25, 2018
The WorldPost (Washington Post)
Past efforts to introduce world order have resulted less from foresighted statecraft than from cataclysmic upheavals such as World War II. If the current international system erodes, what might have to happen for a new one to emerge?
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International Diplomacy
commentary
Making Sense of South Korea's Cautious Optimism on North Korea
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Jul 24, 2018
Pacific Council on International Policy
South Korea is cautiously optimistic that North Korea will denuclearize, and it hopes that this will lead to the normalization of relations. The vast majority of U.S. observers believe that the North is bluffing. Seoul and Washington should continue to strive for transparency about the future of the peninsula.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Is India the Weakest Link in the Quad?
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Jul 23, 2018
Foreign Policy
India's sustained membership in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue would fit with the goal of balancing against China to deter it from further militarizing the Indo-Pacific. But New Dehli may be getting cold feet.
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Military Force Planning
commentary
Reshaping U.S. Military Forces: Getting the Process Right
David Ochmanek
Jul 20, 2018
Defense News
War gaming and analysis show that American forces face serious operational challenges. What steps could be taken to ensure the United States can defeat aggression by its greatest adversaries?
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Trade Barriers
commentary
The U.S.-China Trade War: Different Messages
Rafiq Dossani
Jul 20, 2018
RealClearWorld
The trade war between the United States and China began with the notification of tariffs on $34 billion of traded goods on each side. Officials on both sides of the Pacific are using different messages to convey the dispute. What are the real impacts likely to be?
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Military Education and Training
commentary
To Produce Strategists, Focus on Staffing Senior Leaders
Paula G. Thornhill
Jul 20, 2018
War on the Rocks
To reinvigorate graduate-level professional military education, the military could carve out a unique educational niche by focusing on intense, quality staff officer education that is more relevant to understanding the demands placed on top defense leaders.
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Environmental Regulation
commentary
Suggestions to Help EPA Successfully Implement Retrospective Reviews
Benjamin M. Miller
Jul 19, 2018
Legal Planet
The EPA's interest in including a systematic retrospective review element in new regulation has the potential to provide a transparent and well-structured method for assessing which decisions worked well and which didn't. If successful, it could serve as a role model for other regulatory agencies.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Small States Can Use Naval Mines and Unmanned Vehicles to Deter Maritime Aggression
Scott Savitz
Jul 16, 2018
RealClearDefense
Small coastal nations face potential threats from larger, more powerful adversaries. Their coastlines represent vulnerabilities that a foe may seek to exploit. But these nations can hinder and deter potential aggressors by using less expensive systems, such as naval mines and unmanned vehicles.
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Military Budgets and Defense Spending
commentary
A Look at NATO Funding
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Jul 13, 2018
Inside Sources
European defense spending has been rising since 2014. NATO's two percent of GDP target for defense spending is a goal, not a commitment, and indeed a goal to be reached by 2024, not a standard allies have already failed to meet.
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National Security Organizations
commentary
Homeland Security Should Consider Filling Vacancies at the Top Before Tackling Department Reform
Ryan Consaul
Jul 13, 2018
The Hill
Vacancies in key management positions in the Department of Homeland Security will likely present a challenge to the implementation of Trump administration government reform and reorganization proposals. Naming permanent deputies could help the administration carry out its reform plans at DHS.
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Arctic Region
commentary
Cooperation in the Arctic Likely to Continue—For Now
Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Antonia Ward
Jul 12, 2018
The RAND Blog
Risks for serious tensions in the Arctic during the 2020s are likely to be overstated. Key players in the Arctic appear likely to continue working together to enhance the economic potential of the region and resolve conflicts before they emerge, as opportunities in the Arctic continue to grow.
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Data Science
commentary
Truth Decay, America's Latest Pastime
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich, Jennifer Kavanagh
Jul 12, 2018
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Detailed data and complex analysis are the foundation of decisionmaking in baseball and many other professions and occupations. But facts are out of favor in current U.S. political and civil discourse, and the public policymaking that accompanies it.
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Russia
commentary
Russia's Wars and Trump
Colin P. Clarke, William Courtney @courtneywmh
Jul 11, 2018
The Hill
At the July 16 summit in Helsinki, President Trump might stress that the West will persist in imposing costs on Russia for current and any future malign interventions. At the same time, he could offer to work with Putin in the search for peace in Syria and Ukraine if Moscow were to decide to withdraw its forces.
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