France’s vital interests now have a European dimension
At the end of the third year of his presidency, Emmanuel Macron delivered his long-awaited policy speech on the country’s defence and deterrence strategy. The long-awaited indeed: many have been expecting France to step up its nuclear role in recent years, including heading up the establishment of the EU Nuclear Forcete. Did the President deliver on these expectations? Yes and no.
From the get-go, Macron has been keen to play up the historical...
... universal system of strategic stability in the 21
st
century. This state of affairs will inevitably lead to a new round of the “Great Game” in which military security and other areas are under threat. Moreover, it will have a significant impact on international security and even the existing world order.
The arms control system will likely crumble, and we may very well see the beginnings of a new arms race. The INF Treaty was the cornerstone of the U.S.–Soviet arms control system. It allowed ...
Either humanity will find the strength and determination to move to a new level of governance by relinquishing a part of the national sovereignty of states, or new pandemics will force us to pay an increasingly higher price for the priority we give to national sovereignty and the loyalty we show to political particularism
In the four months that have passed since the coronavirus outbreak began, it seems that just about everyone has had something to say about the situation—experts, regular folk...
As the Western philosopher George Santayana said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
The controversial “Thucydides trap” argument has sparked a heated debate since 2013, when President
Xi Jinping
of China told a cluster of western guests: “We must all work together to avoid Thucydides’ trap.” Later, this concept was elucidated by Professor Graham Allison in his articles, talks and famous book
Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’ Trap
. So, what...
The decision to recognize Abkhazia underlines growing competition between the West and Russia
Abkhazia is a partially recognized state — Russia (2008), Nicaragua (2008), Venezuela (2009), Nauru (2009), Syria (2018) — of 8,660km2 and 240,000 inhabitants located on the shores of the Black Sea. During the Soviet times, the region was one of the most prosperous area in the USSR due to its geographic position in addition to a recognized wine industry, tobacco, oranges, and a hub for Soviet tourism....
RIAC and Strategic Vision Institute Report #50 / 2020
RIAC and Strategic Vision Institute Report #50 / 2020
This report is the result of a collaborative study performed by the Russian
International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI).
The dynamics that both Russia and Pakistan face from the Middle East and the
Persian Gulf are of particular importance in identifying areas where the strategic
and diplomatic interests of both countries converge. This report includes two...
We need to tread thoughtfully and astutely in terms of our diplomacy while being careful not to become too dependent on anyone or take sides
While it may be a little early to talk about the emergence of a bipolar era in the tech world, the question of what policy Russia should follow against the backdrop of the confrontation between the two undisputed tech leaders (the United States and China) is more pressing than ever.
Vassily Kashin
of the Centre for Comprehensive European and International...
Disarmament Expert and former French diplomat Marc Finaud on Nuclear Terrorism and Arms Control
Marc Finaud is Senior Advisor and Head of 'Arms Proliferation' at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP). He is a former French diplomat who has been seconded to the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) between 2004 and 2013 and now works for this international foundation, where he trains diplomats and military officers in international and human security, and conducts research in those fields...
Iran and the Arab states of the Gulf would gain from taking control over their security interests
The beginning of 2020 was marked by yet another major crisis in the Middle East region. The crisis culminated with the US elimination of General Qasem Soleimani and could have slipped towards direct military confrontation between the US and Iran — with unpredictable consequences not just for the MENA region but also for the international system at large — had the Iranian retaliatory strikes on US military...
The biggest threat to Central Asia’s security is the overflow of terrorist activity from Afghanistan
Central Asian countries experience diverse intersecting influences: they feel changes in the situation in the Caucasus, in the Xinjiang autonomous territory of China, in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Militants from various terrorist groups in the region cooperate, many of them fighting in Syria and Iraq. But the biggest threat to Central Asia’s security is the situation in Afghanistan, where...
