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The Aftermath of the Helsinki Summit: The Belarus Angle
Commentary, 1 August 2018Emily Ferris
As the dust settles on the 16 July Helsinki summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the discussion continues to focus on whether Putin or his US counterpart...
International Security Studies, Russia, Global Security Issues
Strengthening Our Fight Against Financial Crime: Reforming the SARs Regime
Commentary, 31 July 2018David Fein
Criminals are using an increasingly complex financial modus operandi to take advantage of today’s mostly fragmented approach to detecting their criminal activity. They are, among other means, cycling...
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
The UK’s Ministry of Defence Delivers a Bland Update on its Modernising Defence Programme
Commentary, 24 July 2018Trevor Taylor
Haziness on future MoD funding is likely the reason for an update on the Modernising Defence Programme that is rich in platitudes but lacks substance.
Defence Spending, Defence, Industries and Society, UK Defence Policy, Military Sciences, Defence Management, UK
For Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan, We Need at Least a Modest Bargain with India
Commentary, 23 July 2018Whit Mason
A ‘grand bargain’, first proposed by the American diplomat Richard Holbrooke, is needed now more than ever to allay Islamabad’s concerns with India’s presence in Afghanistan, although garnering the...
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tackling Extremism, India, International Security Studies, The Pakistan Nexus, The War on Terror, Indo-Pakistan Conflict, Global Security Issues
A Long and Winding Road: The UK’s Defence Review Could Last For Some Time Yet
Commentary, 20 July 2018Malcolm Chalmers
After twelve years (from 1998 to 2010) when the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) suffered from a dearth of regular defence reviews, it is now in danger of having too many. The current review will soon...
Defence Spending, Defence Management, UK, UK Defence
A United Europe in Space?
Commentary, 19 July 2018Alexandra Stickings
The argument over the UK’s post-Brexit role in the Galileo satellite network has led to broader discussions of the UK’s role as a space power. Yet, of equal importance is what this episode tells us...
Aerospace, National Security Studies, European Union, UK, Technology
Modern Deterrence: From Rhetoric to Practice
Commentary, 12 July 2018Ewan Lawson
The final communique of NATO’s Brussels summit pledges Allies to ‘continue to respond to the deteriorated security environment by enhancing our deterrence and defence posture’. But developing NATO’s...
NATO, Military Sciences, UK, Global Security Issues, Risk and Resilience, National Security, Resilience
The Murder of a British Civilian: The Need for Action Against Russia’s Use of Chemical Agents
Commentary, 9 July 2018Ryan Henrici
The death of Dawn Sturgess, one of two British civilians poisoned with Novichok, the same type of nerve agent used in last March’s attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, escalates questions of...
International Security Studies, Russia, UK, Global Security Issues, Technology
EU ‘Strategic Autonomy’ and the Ambition of PESCO
Commentary, 4 July 2018Lauren Twort
The EU is trying to transition from its perceived status as a ‘soft power’ actor in defence, focussing on civilian crisis management and regulation of the European defence market, to a mix of soft...
Defence, Industries and Society, European Union, Global Strategy and Commitments, Security Policy, Global Security Issues, International Institutions, Europe
A Final Nail in the Coffin of the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Commentary, 2 July 2018Tom Keatinge
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) avoided a decision to return Iran to its blacklist of countries not doing enough to combat money laundering. Iran’s continued litany of financial crime failings...
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, AML/CTF, Iran, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, International Institutions
Russia’s ‘Silent’ Occupation and Georgia’s Territorial Integrity
In Context podcast - Episode 11: Jane Marriott OBE
Mitigating Cyber Risks: Is There Room for Two?