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RUSI covers a broad range of areas affecting defence and international security around the world. See here RUSI commentary, reports, events and videos organised by theme and region. Scroll below for the latest content.
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The Toxic Legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles
Article, 21 June 2019Aaron Edwards
The 50th anniversary of the day that British troops first deployed to Northern Ireland offers an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of Operation Banner, and whether the security forces contributed...
Armed Forces, UK Counter-terrorism, RUSI Newsbrief, Tackling Extremism, UK, History, National Security, Terrorism
Shangri-La Dialogue: Europe Navigating Asia Amidst a US–China Standoff
Commentary, 20 June 2019Veerle Nouwens
This year’s Annual Shangri-La Dialogue set the stage for confrontation between China and the US. The now former US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan launched Washington’s Indo-Pacific...
China, European Union, International Security Studies, France, UK, Asia, Global Security Issues, International Institutions, Law and Ethics, Maritime Forces, Europe, Pacific
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir at RUSI
Multimedia, 20 June 2019RUSI welcomes Adel al Jubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He arrives at a time of great tension between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran....
Strike: From Concept to Force
RUSI Publications, 20 June 2019Jack Watling and Justin Bronk
This Occasional Paper provides an independent assessment of non-discretionary capabilities to enable the British Army's Strike concept to achieve its mission. It explores which vulnerabilities can be...
Armed Forces, Occasional Papers, Global Strategy and Commitments, Military Sciences, UK, Land Forces, Land Operations, UK Defence
Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi on the Iran Nuclear Deal
Multimedia, 18 June 2019Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi talks to BBC News about the Iran Nuclear Deal. One year after the U.S. withdrew from the Iran Deal, Iran is looking to scale back its commitment.
United States, Iran, Americas, Germany, International Security Studies, Russia, France, UK, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Ukraine’s Impractical Martial Law
Commentary, 19 December 2018Sébastien 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
France, Germany and Europe’s Strategic Footprint
Commentary, 18 December 2018Frédéric 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
Delicate Footwork: Security and Diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula
Commentary, 17 December 2018Cristina 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
The Army’s ‘Recruitment Crisis’ is Not Just an IT Failure
Commentary, 14 December 2018Jack 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
Sea of Azov Crisis: Ukraine and Russia Clash, as do Competing Visions of European Security
Commentary, 12 December 2018Wojciech Pawlus
Ukraine’s current predicament is a reminder of how Western governments have failed to anchor the country in existing security structures
Ukraine, International Security Studies, Russia, Global Security Issues, History
To Ban or to Banbury?
Commentary, 7 December 2018John Hemmings
The detention of a chief Huawei executive has spotlighted yet again a controversial Chinese technology giant, and may be a harbinger of stronger international pressure on the company.
China, Cyber, National Security Studies, Cyber Security, UK, Asia, Global Security Issues, Information, Intelligence, Law and Ethics, National Security, Technology
Have We Outsourced Our Preparations for a Hostile Attack?
Commentary, 6 December 2018Ruth Smeeth
An MP’s plea for a broader and more inclusive public debate about the security threats facing the UK.
Modern Deterrence, UK, Domestic Security, Resilience, Europe
A Green Wave in Germany?
Commentary, 30 November 2018Juliana Suess and Tobias Borck
The meteoric rise of what used to be a single-issue party has the potential to transform Germany’s politics and international posture just as much as the forthcoming election of a new Chancellor.
Leadership Centre, Germany, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Law and Ethics
Russian Cyber Operations: State-led Organised Crime
Commentary, 28 November 2018James Sullivan
Russia is emulating approaches used by cybercriminals as it blurs the line between state and non-state activities in cyberspace
Cyber, National Security Studies, Cyber Security, Russia, Technology
Initial Thoughts on the Government’s Assessment of the Security Partnership with the EU
Commentary, 28 November 2018Malcolm Chalmers
The Future Security Partnership with the EU keeps options open for future security cooperation – but the UK will have to decide how much sovereignty it is prepared to give up to maintain current...
Brexit Briefings, National Security Studies, European Union, UK Defence Policy, UK, National Security, UK Defence, EuropePages
British Army Recruitment
Multimedia, 11 January 2018Tags: Armed Forces, Military Sciences, Defence Policy, UK, Land Forces, Military Personnel, UK Defence
The Iran Protests
Multimedia, 5 January 2018Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
International Space Security in 2018
Multimedia, 4 January 2018Alexandra Stickings discusses the prospects for international space security in the year ahead.
Tags: Aerospace
European Security in 2018
Multimedia, 4 January 2018Dr Jonathan Eyal outlines the projected developments in Europe in the year ahead.
Tags: Europe
Tackling Financial Crime in 2018
Multimedia, 4 January 2018Tom Keatinge and Olivier Kraft discuss developments and challenges in fighting financial crime in 2018.
Tags: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, AML/CTF
Brexit in 2018
Multimedia, 4 January 2018RUSI Deputy Director General Professor Malcolm Chalmers discusses the prospects for Brexit in 2018.
Tags: Brexit Briefings, Europe
Understanding Unpredictability in the Middle East in 2018
Multimedia, 4 January 2018Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi outlines priorities for analysts will be to understand the impact and unpredictability of US policy in the Middle East.
Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, Middle East and North Africa
President Trump's Nuclear Button Tweet
Multimedia, 3 January 2018Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
The Nuclear Ban Treaty in 2018
Multimedia, 21 December 2017Tom Plant, Director of RUSI's Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme discusses the prospects for the Nuclear Ban treaty in 2018
Tags: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
President Trump's New Strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia
Multimedia, 22 August 2017RUSI Senior Research Fellow Emily Winterbotham examines the new US strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia announced by President Trump on 21 August 2017.
Tags: Pakistan, US Defence Policy, Afghanistan, International Security Studies, Terrorism, Global Security Issues, Land Operations, Central and South AsiaPages
Bougainville, Papua New Guinea: Lessons from a Successful Peace Process
RUSI Journal, 28 January 2019Anthony Regan
Can the success of the peace process in Bougainville offer useful lessons for similar situations?
Tags: Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Pacific
Once a Terrorist, Always a Terrorist? How to Respond to the Women of Daesh
RUSI Newsbrief, 25 January 2019Katherine 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 2019Charles 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 2019Sidharth 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 2019Sir 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 2019Edward 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 2018Alexandria 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
Conrad’s Anxious Armistice
RUSI Journal, 6 December 2018Andrew Glazzard
Joseph Conrad’s reaction to the Armistice in 1918 was tinged with anxiety about the future.
Tags: Armed Forces, The Great War
Maps and Navigation in the Second World War
RUSI Journal, 6 December 2018Jeremy Black
An overview of cartography and its uses during the Second World War.
Tags: Equipment and Acquisitions, Art, Culture and Literature, History
Book Review: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
RUSI Journal, 6 December 2018Gill Bennett
Gill Bennett reviews The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre
Tags: Russia, UKPages
Breakfast Briefing: Intelligence Assessment and Policy Making - Lord Butler’s Lessons, Fifteen Years On
Events, 4 December 2019An exclusive breakfast briefing with Tim Dowse CMG, Senior Associate Fellow, RUSI and former Intelligence Adviser to the UK Foreign Secretary.
Breakfast Briefing - Operating in Russia: High Risks with Little Return?
Events, 19 November 2019An exclusive breakfast briefing with Emily Ferris, Research Fellow, Russia and Eurasia, RUSI.
Turning Technology Against Financial Crime
Events, 23 October 2019A lecture by Megan Butler, Director of Supervision – Investment, Wholesale and Specialist, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Breakfast Briefing: Policing the UK in an Evolving Threat Landscape
Events, 9 October 2019An exclusive breakfast briefing with Lord Hogan-Howe QPM, Distinguished Fellow, RUSI and former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.
Elisabeth Braw on the Stasi’s Cold War Espionage Campaign inside the Church
Events, 25 September 2019A presentation by Elisabeth Braw, Associate Fellow, Modern Deterrence, RUSI, on the real-life cloak-and-dagger story of how East Germany’s notorious spy agency, the Stasi, infiltrated churches here...
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir at RUSI
Shangri-La Dialogue: Europe Navigating Asia Amidst a US–China Standoff
Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi on the Iran Nuclear Deal