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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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Obituary: Eric Grove, 1948–2021
News, 16 April 2021The Institute records with sorrow the death of Professor Eric Grove, one of the United Kingdom’s foremost naval historians and frequent contributor to RUSI’s conferences and publications.

Trailer: Global Security Briefing Podcast Series
Multimedia, 16 April 2021Dr Neil Melvin introduces Global Security Briefing, outlining the core issues to be addressed in future episodes, including the shifting nature of European security, Russia’s emerging global agenda,...
European Security Beyond Europe, Global Security Briefing Podcast Series, International Security Studies
The Americans May Leave Afghanistan, but the Forever War Will Grind On
Commentary, 16 April 2021Nick Reynolds
Joe Biden may be withdrawing US troops from the ground, but given the continuing threat of terrorism that will emanate from Afghanistan it is unlikely that NATO will be able to fully disengage.
Military Sciences, Afghanistan, The War on Terror, Al-Qa'ida, Terrorism
No Neat Battlefields
Multimedia, 15 April 2021Peter Maurer, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, sees no distinction between how the West and other belligerents wage war. In discussion with Professor Peter Roberts, Dr...
Military Sciences
Germany, Russia and the Gambit for Bosnia
Commentary, 15 April 2021Harun Karčić
Berlin wants to replace the country’s High Representative with its own candidate, but Russia has plans of its own.
Germany, Russia, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Europe
The End of the Two-State Solution to the Israel–Palestine Conflict? Turkey and the Kushner Plan
Commentary, 17 May 2019Burcu Ozcelik
The unveiling of the ‘deal of the century’ to resolve the thorny Arab–Israeli conflict, conjured up by chief negotiator and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is rumored to be imminent....
RUSI International, Turkey, Israel, Global Security Issues, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
Reflections from the Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee Meeting
Commentary, 16 May 2019Cristina Varriale
Our Research Fellow in proliferation and nuclear policy has just returned from the latest meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in an optimistic...
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
A Threat to Jus in Bello: Legal Implications of Iran’s Designation of the US Central Command as a Terrorist Organisation
Commentary, 15 May 2019Christopher Galvin
Iran’s designation of the US Central Command as a terrorist organisation has serious implications for the treatment of its personnel in any conflict.
United States, Iran, Americas, Law and Ethics, Military Personnel, Middle East and North Africa
Uncertainty Remains in Spain amid the Entrance of Far-Right Vox into the Parliament
Commentary, 14 May 2019Xavier Servitja Roca
Immigration, Europe and Catalonia will provide Spain’s Socialists with quite the challenge in the aftermath of the country’s election.
European Union, International Institutions, Europe
Russian Internet Efforts Go Further Than Just Helping President Trump Being Elected
Commentary, 10 May 2019Tom Ascott
The findings of Robert Mueller’s report demonstrate the sophistication of Russia’s information operations. Yet the 2016 US election may have been a proof of concept for future efforts.
Cyber, United States, Americas, Russia, Information, Technology, Europe
Britain’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent: Flawed Arguments by Disarmament Doves and Deterrence Hawks
Commentary, 9 May 2019Sam Dudin
There are flaws on both sides of the debate over the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent.
Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Equipment and Acquisitions, Trident, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Defence, Europe
Reinvigorating the Forgotten Financial Fight Against Al-Shabaab
Commentary, 8 May 2019Tom Keatinge
The lessons learned from disrupting Daesh financing must be applied to the unchecked funding of Al-Shabaab, the jihadist fundamentalist group based in East Africa.
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Horn of Africa, AML/CTF, Terrorism, Africa
The Huawei Debate’s Other Lesson
Commentary, 3 May 2019Trevor Taylor
A British defence secretary has been dismissed over allegations that he leaked a government discussion about the market access which China’s telecommunication giant Huawei may obtain in the UK. But...
Cyber, Defence, Industries and Society, Defence Management, Technology, Europe
Libya and France: A Revival of ‘Napoleonism’?
Commentary, 1 May 2019Youssef Tobi
France appears to be relying on force to patch up problems in Africa, and particularly in Libya. None of this is compatible with President Macron’s lofty foreign policy declarations.
Sahel, France, Libya, Terrorism, Europe, Africa, Middle East and North Africa
EU Spending on Defence Research and Development is About to Accelerate
Commentary, 30 April 2019Trevor Taylor
The EU’s foray into support for defence industry innovation is moving forward, but the timely establishment of cost-effective collaborative projects will not be easy. British access to such efforts...
Defence, Industries and Society, Equipment and Acquisitions, European UnionPages

Lord Hutton on Nuclear Weapons and Proliferation
Multimedia, 23 August 2012The Right Honourable Lord Hutton of Furness, Chairman of Nuclear Industries Association, delivered the keynote address at RUSI's UK PONI Conference 2012
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Stephen Ashley on Nuclear Fuel
Multimedia, 23 August 2012Dr Stephen Ashley spoke at the RUSI UK PONI conference 2012 on 'Proliferation Resistance of Thorium-Uranium Fuelled Nuclear Reactors'
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Alex Bollfrass on Iran's Virtual Nuclear Arsenal
Multimedia, 23 August 2012Alex Bollfrass, MA Student at Princeton University, spoke at RUSI's UK PONI Conference 2012 on 'Crisis Stability of an Iranian Virtual Nuclear Arsenal'
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Paul Burton on a Tale of Two Crises
Multimedia, 23 August 2012Paul Burton of AWE's National Nuclear Security Programme spoke at the UK PONI Conference 2012, examining two archetypal examples of nuclear crises from the past fifty years.
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David Cliff on Multilateral Approaches to Future W
Multimedia, 23 August 2012David Cliff, a Researcher at VERTIC, spoke at RUSI's UK PONI 2012 Conference on 'Multilateral Approaches to Future Warhead Dismantlement Verification'
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Matthew Cottee on the Nuclear Security Regime and
Multimedia, 23 August 2012Matthew Cottee, Research Associate, Centre for Science and Security Studies, spoke at RUSI's UK PONI Conference 2012 on 'The Nuclear Security Regime and Its Role in Nuclear Stability'
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Tristan Derry on China's stance on Nuclear Non-Pro
Multimedia, 23 August 2012Tristan Derry of the International Centre for Security Analysis spoke at RUSI's UK PONI Conference 2012 on the subject of 'China's New Security Concept and its Changing Position on Non-Proliferation'
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Andrew Futter on Nuanced US Deterrence
Multimedia, 23 August 2012Dr Andrew Futter, Lecturer in International Politics at University of Leicester, speaks at the RUSI UK PONI Conference 2012 on 'Nuanced US Deterrence: Treating the Symptoms or Drivers of Nuclear...
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Matthew Gill on the UK's Plutonium Stockpile
Multimedia, 23 August 2012Matthew Gill, PhD Candidate at University of Manchester spoke at RUSI's UK PONI Conference 2012 on 'Proliferation Resistance of Fast Reactor Fuel Cycles Using the UK's Plutonium Stockpile'
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Eben Harrell on Preventing Nuclear Terrorism
Multimedia, 23 August 2012Eben Harrell, of the Managing the Atom Project at Harvard Kennedy School, spoke at RUSI's UK PONI Conference 2012 on 'Consolidating Fissile Material: Next Steps to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism'
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A Fourth F-35 Variant?
RUSI Defence Systems, 15 June 2018Andrew Hartland
With an inherently high thrust-to-weight ratio and modified digital flight control system, an F-35 variant could operate off the Queen Elizabeth class carriers with fewer penalties to the baseline F-35A design than the current F-35B and hence fewer performance trade-offs
Tags: Aerospace
The Rise of the Chemical Weapon State: From Salisbury to Syria
RUSI Newsbrief, 8 June 2018Ryan Henrici
The recent execution of chemical attacks by Moscow, Damascus and Pyongyang for diverse purposes may not only suggest that the prohibitive power of international conventions is now fading away, but also signals the emergence of a new class of states who can deploy a credible chemical threat.
Tags: North Korea, Russia, Syria, Global Security Issues, Technology
Counter-UAS – a ‘Wicked’ Problem?
RUSI Defence Systems, 6 June 2018Adam Coffey
Finding, striking, jamming, blocking, sustaining, and generally being disruptive, are all now realistic outputs from UAS. Given these multiple potential and proven uses for UAS even by non-state actors, the military conversation has very much moved on to how to counter them.
Tags: Technology
Positional Warfare A Paradigm for Understanding Twenty-First-Century Conflict
RUSI Journal, 4 June 2018Siddarth Kaushal
Contemporary war is not characterised by radical change, but to a return to the eighteenth-century paradigm of positional warfare.
Tags: Global Security Issues
Global Allies: Comparing US Alliances in the 21st Century
RUSI Journal, 1 June 2018Lavina Lee
Lavina Lee reviews Global Allies: Comparing US Alliances in the 21st Century, by Michael Wesley.
Tags: Global Security Issues
RUSI Newsbrief Vol. 38, No. 4
RUSI Newsbrief, 1 June 2018This issue of Newsbrief includes articles on the migration of Daesh's leaders to Afghanistan, the 2018 NATO Summit being held in Brussels in July, what to expect in Ukrainian politics over the next twelve months, and Bulgaria's approach to the standoff between Russia and the West.
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Marauding Terrorist Firearms’ Attacks: A Practitioner’s View of the UK’s Emergency Service Initial Response Arrangements to Deal with an Active Shooter
RUSI Journal, 1 June 2018Dave Graham
Improvement is needed to the UK’s emergency services’s plans to respond to marauding terrorist firearms’ attacks.
Tags: UK, Terrorism
Nord Stream II: The Battle Lines Have Been Drawn
RUSI Newsbrief, 1 June 2018Alex Maciag
Increasing tension over Nord Stream II puts the spotlight on a West that still lacks unity or a clear policy towards Russia. The divisions over the project are adding to bitterness within the EU and the transatlantic relationship, and benefiting Moscow.
Tags: United States, Russia, Global Security Issues, Europe
An Assessment of Supply-Chain Cyber Resilience for the International Space Station
RUSI Journal, 31 May 2018Noel Hannan
It is important to understand how International Space Station is vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Tags: Aerospace, Cyber
Central Asian Gas Exports Dependency: Swapping Russian Patronage for Chinese
RUSI Journal, 31 May 2018Farkhod Aminjonov
Central Asian gas exporters may have swapped dependency on one client for another with trade arrangements with Russia and China.
Tags: Russia, Central and South AsiaPages

Western Jihadism: A Thirty Year History
Events, 14 July 2021A conversation with Professor Jytte Klausen about her new book, ‘Western Jihadism: A Thirty Year History’, which charts the development of Al-Qaeda’s growth in the West.

Prisons and Terrorism
Events, 30 June 2021A presentation by Professor Seán McConville on the imprisonment of terrorists, focusing on the use of prisons by paramilitary organisations to further their objectives.

RUSI Land Warfare Conference 2021: Integrating for Operations Today and Warfighting Tomorrow
Conference, 2 June 2021Held annually on behalf of the Chief of the General Staff, the RUSI Land Warfare Conference is the UK’s pre-eminent gathering of the land forces community In the wake of the UK's Integrated Review...

International Day of UN Peacekeepers Conference: Enhancing the UK Contribution to Peacekeeping
Conference, 27 May 2021Our annual conference, jointly organised by RUSI and the Westminster Branch of the United Nations Association, has established itself as one of the UK’s most authoritative reviews of UN peacekeeping...

Strategic Command Conference: Sharpening the UK Defence’s Edge in the 2020s
Events, 26 May 2021Held against the backdrop of the substantial financial settlement for Defence but also a deteriorating security situation and the broader impact of the pandemic, the UK Strategic Command Conference...
Trailer: Global Security Briefing Podcast Series
The Americans May Leave Afghanistan, but the Forever War Will Grind On
Germany, Russia and the Gambit for Bosnia