The independent resource on global security

Backgrounders

New domains of crossover and concern in cyberspace

Dr Lora Saalman

Lora Saalman explores the appropriation of cyberspace as the newest domain for hybrid warfare, citing cases of alleged cyber intrusion and attack from Ukraine to the South China Sea.

After 72 years, nuclear weapons have been prohibited

Dr Tarja Cronberg

7 July 2017 was a momentous day for disarmament and arms control. On that day, 122 states approved the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, often called ‘the ban treaty’, at the United Nations in New York.

China, Russia and the shifting landscape of arms sales

Siemon T. Wezeman

When it comes to the arms trade, China has not only learned from Russia, but succeeded in challenging it.

Peace solutions: Learning from what works and adapting to a changing world

Kate Sullivan, Dr Marina Caparini and Dr Gary Milante

This backgrounder looks at lessons and illustrative cases of 'what works' in preventing conflict and sustaining peace from sessions at the 2017 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development.

Eurasian Economic Union policies and practice in Kyrgyzstan

Dr Damir Esenaliev and Gulzhan Asylbek kyzy

Kyrgyzstan’s experience as a member of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) from mid-2015 to late 2016 has been largely frustrating, alhtough any analysis is complicated by the regional economic and political shocks during this time.

Trends in multilateral peace operations—new SIPRI data

Timo Smit

On the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, SIPRI is releasing new data on multilateral peace operations active in 2016. This backgrounder explores the trends identified by the new data.

The EU: Pondering strategic engagement with China's Belt and Road Initiative

Richard Ghiasy and Dr Jiayi Zhou

The EU has so far reacted hesitantly to China's Belt and Road Initiative amid concerns over transparency, feasability and sustainability. However, it risks being left behind as China takes a stronger lead in shaping the Eurasian landscape.

The status of Chinese–Russian energy cooperation in the Arctic

Ekaterina Klimenko and Camilla T. N. Sørensen

On the day of the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting, this backgrounder looks at the status of Chinese–Russian cooperation in the Arctic.

The Silk Road Economic Belt: How does it interact with Eurasian security dynamics?

Richard Ghiasy and Dr Jiayi Zhou

China's ambitious Silk Road Economic Belt aims to provide critical infrastructure across Eurasia. How does this interact with security dynamics in Central and South Asian states?

Monitoring military expenditure

Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman

SIPRI provides the only long-term, historically consistent series of military expenditure data with global coverage available today. This topical backgrounder looks at how and why SIPRI invests time in this endeavour.