Reserving Judgement: Reforming Britain’s Army Reserve

Paul Barnes

In Project Haldane, the British Army’s endeavour to breathe new life into its reserve forces, the Army faces a unique opportunity to ensure its Reserve is configured for the next war; how it reacts may determine its future as a Reference Force.

Is This the End of Nuclear Arms Control?

Malcolm Chalmers and Dmitry Stefanovich

The articles below were informed by a roundtable discussion in London in October 2018 between the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and RUSI to discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. While the discussion revealed some differences in perspective, it was agreed that expert dialogue can play an important role in informing the policy positions of all governments concerned.

Modern Deterrence: Preparing for the Age of Grey-Zone Warfare

Elisabeth Braw

Modern deterrence is concerned with how countries employ their resilience potential to deter today’s hybrid threats, especially through the involvement of the private sector and civil society. New approaches will likely build on the practices already developed by countries exhibiting a strategy of ‘total defence’.

Canada’s Pledge to Latvia and the Bigger NATO Bargain

Stéfanie von Hlatky

A debate on defence spending that has re-emerged within the NATO Alliance seems to have exacerbated tensions between the two sides of the transatlantic partnership. Continuing a long tradition of defining itself in opposite terms against its neighbour to the south, Canada’s approach to this debate offers a rarely explored take on burden sharing within the Alliance.

New Actors in the Game: The MDC–Alliance and Election Manipulation in Zimbabwe

Obert Hodzi

Traditional methods of rigging elections are falling out of favour in the eyes of leaders keen to have their authoritarian regimes validated at the ballot box. Aided by digital technologies, a loyal supporter base and a lucrative party identity and narrative, opposition parties like Zimbabwe’s MDC are taking their turn at manipulating the outcomes of elections, and forcing the hand of those who...

Security on the Korean Peninsula: The Latest from RUSI

Tom Plant and Cristina Varriale

A flurry of recent activity on the North Korean diplomatic front has kept researchers in the Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme at RUSI extremely busy over the past few months. Their latest research findings indicate that policymakers should focus on pursuing small gains over a grand bargain, as well as balancing Tokyo’s long-term view and scepticism of China with Seoul’s focus on short-...

RUSI Newsbrief Vol. 38, No. 7

This issue of Newsbrief includes articles on the Russian nationalist motorycle club known as The Night Wolves, the Crime/Terror Nexus, the American military presence in Iceland, and sport diplomacy at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Vostok’s Weak Optics Reveal Russia and China’s Fractured Relationship

Emily Ferris and Veerle Nouwens

The joint Russia–China Vostok exercises demonstrated some military cooperation between the two. However, the more significant event was the concomitant Eastern Economic Forum, an investment forum hosted in Russia’s Far East. Amid a depressed economy, Russia is attempting to encourage Chinese investment in the Far East, but many deals with China have fallen through and large-scale investment is...

Pakistan’s Army Reverses the Great Game: The Oxus Meets the Indus

Kamal Alam

In 1947, Pakistan’s army inherited the default position and strategy of British India in opposing Russian influence and inroads into Afghanistan and Central Asia. Now, for the first time in 200 years, they have reversed the old British policy of confronting the Russians for control over Central Asia. Pakistan’s army now sees the Russians as their strategic partners.