| RUSI

A pile of bitcoins, 2018. Courtesy of Mathis Lesieur/Pxhere

The Illusion of Simplicity: Which Virtual Currencies Businesses are Subject to Money Laundering Rules?

Commentary, 21 March 2019

Anton Moiseienko and Kayla Izenman

Regulating virtual currency businesses in order to prevent money laundering is not easy. But it can be done.

Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Cyber, AML/CTF, Global Security Issues, Information, Intelligence, International Institutions, Financial Crime 2.0

RUSl at the 4x4 Director's Forum

News, 20 March 2019

RUSI Director-General Karin von Hippel discusses security issues common to Africa and Europe at the 4x4 Directors Forum. Co-hosted by the Policy Center for the New South in Rabat and the Paris-...

Business people working on laptops, 2018. Courtesy of Pxhere

Expanding the Capability of Financial Information-Sharing Partnerships

RUSI Publications, 20 March 2019

Nick Maxwell

Public–private financial information-sharing partnerships have become increasingly useful in understanding and mitigating economic crime. This Occasional Paper examines how these partnerships' role...

Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Cyber, AML/CTF, Occasional Papers, Global Security Issues, Information, Intelligence, International Institutions, Law and Ethics, Financial Crime 2.0, National Security, Organised Crime, Technology

BANNER IMAGE: Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Munich Security Conference, 2018. Courtesy of Barth/MSC/Wikimedia Commons

A Confident Pakistan Army Recalibrates the Country’s Regional Policies

Commentary, 18 March 2019

Kamal Alam

Pakistan’s military is playing a significant role in assisting the country’s prime minister in the conduct of foreign and security policies, and usually with the objective of scaling down...

Pakistan, International Security Studies, Defence Management, Indo-Pakistan Conflict, Global Security Issues, Land Forces, Military Personnel, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Resilience

How East Africa’s Terrorists Build Their Brand Strength

Article, 15 March 2019

Matthew Freear

To further its ambitious agenda, the Somali terrorist organisation Al-Shabaab has dedicated substantial time and effort into polishing its unique brand.

Horn of Africa, RUSI Newsbrief, Tackling Extremism, African Union, Counterinsurgency, STRIVE - Horn of Africa, Terrorism

The City of London as seen from the Thames. Courtesy of Kim Hansen/Wikimedia

Unexplained Strategy: Putting Unexplained Wealth Orders to Work

Commentary, 11 January 2019

Tom Keatinge

The government should use unexplained wealth orders to reduce harm, not reap headlines.

Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, UK, Organised Crime, Europe

Power lines in North Lincolnshire. Courtesy of Andy Beecroft/geograph.org.uk

Modern Deterrence and Societal Resilience

Commentary, 10 January 2019

Toby Harris

Security and resilience have to be designed into society’s fabric.

Modern Deterrence, Defence Policy, UK, Resilience, UK Defence, Europe

The Significant Parts of the Modernising Defence Programme

Commentary, 7 January 2019

Trevor Taylor

Britain’s newly released policy document on modernising its defence programmes repeats some information already in the public domain, hints at new requirements and vulnerabilities, but ultimately...

Armed Forces, Defence Spending, Defence, Industries and Society, Equipment and Acquisitions, Defence Management, Defence Policy, UK, UK Defence, Europe

President of Russia Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of the 2017 G20 summit. Courtesy of President of Russia.

Russia’s ‘Political Solitude’ and the US

Commentary, 4 January 2019

Emily Ferris

Russia’s responses to the US’s actions are often misinterpreted, but examining more closely how Russia approaches the US could help to explain the bilateral relationship’s future trajectory.

United States, Equipment and Acquisitions, Global Strategy and Commitments, International Security Studies, Russia, International Institutions, Law and Ethics, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

A Bitcoin sits on a pile of fiat currency. Courtesy of Pxhere.

Crypto at the Crossroads: Exploring the Impact of the US Treasury’s Bitcoin Sanctions

Commentary, 2 January 2019

Kayla Izenman

The US government’s move against two alleged cyber-criminals serves as a warning sign to the cryptocurrency community. The community may choose to respond by cloaking itself in an even heavier mantle...

Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Cyber, United States, US Defence Policy, AML/CTF, Cyber Security, Sanctions, Illicit Trade, Law and Ethics, Financial Crime 2.0, Organised Crime, Technology

Morning in Tigray, Ethiopia, 2013. Courtesy of Rod Waddington/Wikimedia Commons.

Making Progress on Ethiopia’s Reforms

Commentary, 20 December 2018

Ann Fitz-Gerald

The government of Abiye Ahmed has taken admirable steps to reform Ethiopia’s political life. It needs to do more in the months ahead, and in a more coherent manner.

African Union, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Law and Ethics, National Security, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Resilience, Africa

Freedom Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 2014. Courtesy of Vizu/Wikimedia Commons.

Ukraine’s Impractical Martial Law

Commentary, 19 December 2018

Sébastien Gobert

Ukraine’s decision to impose martial law in parts of its territory in the wake of the latest Russian military provocation is not helpful and does not answer Ukraine’s strategic weaknesses.

Civil–Military Relations, Ukraine, Military Sciences, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Martial Power Programme, Law and Ethics, Military Personnel, National Security

Then US President Barack Obama chairs a UN Security Council meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, NY, 24 September 2009. Courtesy of the White House/Pete Souza

France, Germany and Europe’s Strategic Footprint

Commentary, 18 December 2018

Frédéric Charillon

An off-the-cuff and not very productive German proposal has revived an older debate about France’s role and status in the world, as well as the measures which should be taken to enhance Europe’s...

Leadership Centre, RUSI International, United Nations, Germany, European Union, Global Strategy and Commitments, France, Global Security Issues, International Institutions

Meeting between US and North Korea delegations in Singapore, 12 June 2018. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Dan Scavino Jr

Delicate Footwork: Security and Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula

Commentary, 17 December 2018

Cristina Varriale

The suspension of US–South Korean military exercises is a vital step in the broader effort to build confidence on the Korean peninsula.

Armed Forces, United States, North Korea, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Global Strategy and Commitments, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Defence Policy, Asia, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific

Members of the British Army 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, C Company, march on their way to a hangar for an up-close look at an F-15E Strike Eagle at RAF Lakenheath, 25 May 2012. Courtesy of US Air Force/Cory D Payne

The Army’s ‘Recruitment Crisis’ is Not Just an IT Failure

Commentary, 14 December 2018

Jack Watling

The British Army’s experience with outsourcing its recruitment to a commercial firm is not going well.

Armed Forces, Defence Spending, Military Sciences, Defence Management, UK, Securing Britain, Land Forces, Land Operations, Military Personnel, UK Defence

Pages

NATO Round-table

Multimedia, 11 July 2018

Jonathan Eyal, Associate Director, Strategic Research Partnerships

Malcolm Chalmers, Deputy Director-General

Emily Winterbotham, Senior Research Fellow

A round table discussion on the up coming NATO summit between Jonathan Eyal, Malcolm Chalmers and Emily Winterbotham.

Tags: NATO

Embedded thumbnail for The UK Government&#039;s Prevent Strategy

The UK Government's Prevent Strategy

Multimedia, 15 June 2018

Tags:

Embedded thumbnail for Russia&#039;s Goals for the World Cup

Russia's Goals for the World Cup

Multimedia, 14 June 2018

Tags:

North Korea Summit

Multimedia, 12 June 2018

RUSI experts, Tom Plant and Cristina Varriale, get in depth and talk about the recent Trump - Kim summit.

Tags:

Embedded thumbnail for Session 1: The Future Combat Environment- RUSI–The First Sea Lord&#039;s Sea Power Conference 2018

Session 1: The Future Combat Environment- RUSI–The First Sea Lord's Sea Power Conference 2018

Multimedia, 1 June 2018

Tags:

Embedded thumbnail for Tom Tugendhat on &#039;Defending the Rules&#039;

Tom Tugendhat on 'Defending the Rules'

Multimedia, 29 May 2018

An address by Tom Tugendhat MBE MP, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Commons. In his address, Mr Tugendhat will discuss Britain’s place in the world and his vision for the UK’s foreign...

Tags:

Closing Session: Admiral Sir Philip Jones - RUSI–The First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference 2018

Multimedia, 25 May 2018

Tags:

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson at RUSI

Multimedia, 24 May 2018

The Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson speaks at the RUSI-First Sea Lord's Sea Power Conference

Tags:

International Day of UN Peacekeepers

Multimedia, 23 May 2018

Rt Hon Mark Lancaster TD MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, and Sarah Fountain Smith, Deputy High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom speak at International Day of United Nations...

Tags:

Could North Korea Walk Away from the Table

Multimedia, 22 May 2018

Cristina Varriale, Research Analyst with RUSI’s Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Team, talks about if North Korea are going to walk away from negotiations over American and South Korean joint...

Tags:

Pages

Once a Terrorist, Always a Terrorist? How to Respond to the Women of Daesh

RUSI Newsbrief, 25 January 2019

Katherine E Brown

The mass repatriation of women who had joined Daesh in Iraq and Syria poses difficult logistical, as well as moral, considerations for the UK. Rather than relying on gendered assumptions about their motives and participation, the response must be in line with the UK’s human rights commitments and focus on sustainable outcomes.

Tags: UK Counter-terrorism, Tackling Extremism, UK, Domestic Security, National Security

China’s Growing Pains: A Review of 40 Years of Reform

RUSI Newsbrief, 23 January 2019

Charles Parton

Now that Chinese President Xi Jinping has consolidated power within the Chinese Communist Party, the expectation is that he will turn his gaze to serious reform efforts needed to sustain the country’s rise. Changing an economic and social system described by Chinese leaders as ‘unsustainable’ without provoking instability – to be accomplished with the Party managing to stay in power and outrun problems of debt, demography, and water scarcity – will prove to be quite the challenge.

Tags: China, Global Security Issues

Amphibious Assault is Over

RUSI Defence Systems, 21 January 2019

Sidharth Kaushal and Jack Watling

The conduct of amphibious operations is currently undergoing a drastic overhaul in response to an array of emerging threats

Tags: Equipment and Acquisitions, Maritime Forces

The Good Friday Agreement and Brexit

RUSI Newsbrief, 18 January 2019

Sir Paul Lever

Brexit negotiations on the Northern Ireland border question reveal diverging views on the future of the Good Friday Agreement.

Tags: Brexit Briefings, European Union, UK

The Failure of China’s Security Policy in Xinjiang

RUSI Newsbrief, 11 January 2019

Edward Schwarck

The mass internment of Xinjiang’s Uyghurs in supposed ‘re-education’ facilities as a means of combatting violent extremism suggests that Beijing lacks confidence in the effectiveness of its intelligence architecture, and by extension, its capacity to identify and eliminate actual terrorist threats.

Tags: China, Counterinsurgency, Intelligence, Technology, Terrorism

Small Parcels, Big Risks: The Forgotten Security Dimensions of the EU’s Digital Single Market Strategy

RUSI Newsbrief, 13 December 2018

Alexandria Reid

E-commerce and cross-border delivery services within the EU are about to become more competitive, as new regulations introduced by the European Commission will permit a consumer in France to purchase a Gucci handbag from the company’s Romanian website with greater ease. While consumers are likely to rejoice at renewed efforts to harmonise prices across the single market, organised crime groups reliant on the postal system to traffic illicit goods are also likely to benefit.

Tags: European Union, Organised Crime, Europe