CIAO DATE: 08/2010
Volume: 9, Issue: 2
Spring 2010
Ulrich Kühn
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s proposals aim at a codification of NATO’s current borders, a recovery of Russian influence in the so-called “near abroad,” and the establishment of legally binding “rules of the game” going forward in the realm of maintaining peace and stability in Europe. The November 2009 treaty’s strange lack of substance coupled with its political unfeasibility makes it particularly hard to know what to do with the Russian initiative.
Private Security Companies and the Imperfect Reach of the United States Criminal Justice System (PDF)
Christopher M. Kovach
Waging war with a combination of regular troops and private security company (PSC) contractors can be done; however, at times the contractors act at cross-purposes with the stated objectives of the campaign. While the US criminal justice system has made strides toward holding PSCs accountable, these advances do not go far enough. It details the perceived impunity to the law enjoyed by PSCs and its effect on regular troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The second section discusses how to bring PSCs before the law through an examination of the relevant international law. It also critiques two expansions to the U.S. criminal justice system-bringing contractors before courts-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or before federal district courts via the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act-and explains their ineffectiveness. The essay concludes by suggesting that Congress should energize the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act by funding a dedicated district court to receive its cases.
Small States and (In)Security: A Comparison of Ireland and Slovenia
Daniel R. Sweeney, Joseph L. Derdzinski
This article compares the defense and security policies of two of Europe's smallest states: Ireland and Slovenia. This essay aims to add to the theoretical understandings of the major security decisions-especially with respect to the civil-military dynamic-that small states make. This comparison is key in understanding overall patterns of democratic governance and civil-military relations.
Small States and (In)Security: A Comparison of Ireland and Slovenia (PDF)
Daniel R. Sweeney, Joseph L. Derdzinski
This article compares the defense and security policies of two of Europe's smallest states: Ireland and Slovenia. This essay aims to add to the theoretical understandings of the major security decisions-especially with respect to the civil-military dynamic-that small states make. This comparison is key in understanding overall patterns of democratic governance and civil-military relations.
The Evolution of Russian Conceptual and Political Models of High Technology Cooperation (PDF)
Ivan V. Danilin
International cooperation in the area of high technology is one of the most important features of the current state of innovation around the world. Russia, which has declared its intention to regain (on a new footing) its former leadership role in science and technology, is also looking at international cooperation in the area of high technology as a powerful and important instrument for the development of national networks of innovation and a strong innovative economy, in hopes of securing a significant future market share in global sales of high-technology goods and services. But unlike many other nations, Russia's path, strategies, and modes of cooperation are still in transition.
Evolving Insurgency and India's Counter-Insurgency Options (PDF)
Shantanu Chakrabarti
Insurgency-related threats have undoubtedly become the biggest security threat to the nation-state system in current times, far outweighing the diminishing risk of inter-state conflict. Whether or not one accepts the characterization of modern insurgencies as conforming to the 4th Generation Warfare model, one must admit the evolving and highly diffused and diversified nature of such insurgencies. Faced with this new threat to their existence, nation- states have also tried to evolve new counter-insurgency measures.
Stanislav Križovský, Pavel Nečas, Miroslav Kelemen, Lucia Mesárošová
The "Comprehensive Approach" represents a new methodology of planning and performing military operations. The selection of actions is subject to an evaluation of the cumulative effects to reach the desired final condition: an entity that represents an asymmetric opponent in peace and war.
GAO Report on Afghanistan Drug Control (PDF)
The US counternarcotics strategy has changed emphasis across program areas over time to align with the overarching counterinsurgency campaign. The 2005 US counternarcotics strategy focused on five program areas: elimination/eradication, interdiction, justice reform, public information, and alternative livelihoods. Since then, US Department of Defense policy and rules of engagement were changed to allow greater military involvement in Afghanistan counternarcotics efforts due to the ties between traffickers and insurgents. Furthermore, the US counternarcotics strategy has shifted to align more closely with counterinsurgency efforts by de-emphasizing eradication, focusing more on interdiction efforts, and increasing agricultural assistance.