RUSI in the News: 19 November - 25 November
Op-Eds
Trade Connectivity: The Missing Link in the Belt and Road
If connectivity with Central Asia is truly an objective, then Pakistan and Central Asia need to build up greater exchange on trade cooperation. To date, there has been more concentration on building the roads and railways, with equal attention needed on what will be traded along these roads and railways.
Sarah Lain for The Diplomat, 23 November
Quoted in the Media
Lone-Actor Terrorism
Surge in far-right extremism as spotlight fell on jihadist threat
Tahir Abbas, a senior research fellow at RUSI and an expert in violent extremism, said far-right lone wolves were a “rising problem” and compared them to Islamist extremists who have launched random attacks. “They share similar issues as those on the jihadist spectrum — their isolation and alienation, coupled with an online community where they share their hate, is a new form of risk for us and our security.” He said there were some, like Mair, who were “prepared to turn to violence”.
Tahir Abbas in The Times, 24 November
Under the spotlight: Britain's big problem with homegrown nazi terrorists
Just days after Cox’s murder, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK published a report warning of the growing danger of ‘lone wolf’ far right attacks, which had claimed the lives of 96 across Europe between 2000 and 2014.
RUSI in Commonspace, 24 November
Turkey
Turkey issues arrest warrant for Syria’s leading Kurdish politician ‘to pressure the West’: analysts
“[Turkey’s prosecution] will not encourage Western nations to suddenly move away from the Syrian Kurds as the main fighting force against ISIS. However the linkage of Syrian Kurds to terrorist activity in Turkey places a bind on those who believe the Kurds should be given some political recognition,” Stephens continued.
Michael Stephens in ARA News, 23 November
Russia's Relations with the West
Putin moves short-range missiles to Kaliningrad in tactical deployment
"That is the force equaliser that the Kremlin has now,” he said, following the US election which has raised questions about Mr Trump’s commitment to established alliances. “Hybrid warfare is the Russian offset strategy. They are fundamentally weak against the united West — that is why they try to divide the West using fear and intimidation.
Igor Sutyagin for The Australian, 23 November
Putin moves short-range missiles to Kaliningrad in tactical deployment
That is the force equaliser that the Kremlin has now,” he said, following the US election which has raised questions about Mr Trump’s commitment to established alliances.
“Hybrid warfare is the Russian offset strategy. They are fundamentally weak against the united West — that is why they try to divide the West using fear and intimidation.
“What the Kremlin is doing now is displaying that they have stronger will than the will of the West. All these tricks with intimidation, deployments, is the way to exercise this will. It’s to prove that Russian will is stronger, there is no point to resist.”
Igor Sutyagin in New.com.au, 23 November
Vladimir Putin moves his missiles in new threat to Europe
Experts said that Russia’s actions represented a challenge to Mr Trump, whose reaction could be hard to predict. “It is a dangerous moment,” Igor Sutyagin, a Russia expert at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said.
Igor Sutyagin in The Times, 23 November
How Nicolas Sarkozy Went From Fierce Putin Critic To Ardent Admirer
“He believes that everything can be dealt with through personal relations, personal diplomacy and personal contacts. He can sit down with Putin and sort out international security, cutting through bureaucracy, officials and multilateral relations,”
“The assumption in Moscow will be that Sarkozy is precisely the kind of guy with whom Russia could work with”.
Jonathan Eyal for Buzzfeed, 19 November
China successfully fires radical hypersonic 'very long range air to air missile' that could hit targets 300 miles away
Igor Sutyagin, an expert in Russian nuclear capability at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told MailOnline: 'The SS-18 is more than 30 years old. It is past its sell-by date. 'So even if you had the warmest relations in the world with Nato you would want to update your missiles. But (President) Putin of course is happy for it to be portrayed as an aggressive move. He wants to stress his unpredictability and his importance.'
Igor Sutyagin for The Daily Mail, 23 November
Trump, Putin ties could be tested by NATO
"Trump will try again a reset with Russia, and remain, like Obama, reluctant to get involved with Ukraine. But I don't think NATO security guarantees will weaken, and Putin would be foolish to test this," Chalmers told CNBC via email.
Malcolm Chalmers for CNBC, 22 November
Countering Daesh
Egypt to hold mass trial of suspected Islamic State militants
HA Hellyer, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) in London, said suspects in the coming trial “shouldn’t expect much leniency” as “the Egyptian state has a record of very tough sentences when it comes to [Isis] types”.
HA Hellyer in The Guardian, 23 November
Salafism and the Middle East
As European authorities target Salafism, the word needs parsing
The kingdom’s future may partly depend on which approach prevails, says Mr Hellyer, a fellow of the Royal United Services Institute, a British think-tank.
HA Hellyer in The Economist, 24 November
China's Military Technology
Comparing China’s New Stealth Fighter With F-22 And F-35
But Justin Bronk, a research fellow specializing in combat airpower at the Royal United Services Institute, said the display left many unanswered questions. It was not possible to say definitively what the J-20 is capable of, but he doubts if its sensor and network integration can match that of US aircraft such as the F-35 and F-22 although on paper it is a leap forward for the People’s Liberation Army.
Justin Bronk in War History Online, 20 November