The independent resource on global security
Essays
China’s economic engagement with North Korea: towards greater conditionality?
Mathieu Duchâtel and Phillip SchellChina plays a central role in international efforts to curb the North Korean nuclear programme, but chooses a strategy of closer economic and political ties rather than of applying sanctions.
How much security can a dollar buy?
Dr Gary MilanteIt is easy to measure how much food or fuel a dollar can buy, but how much security can a dollar buy?
Interdependence, not sovereignty, is the key to the development of Russia’s Arctic region
Although strengthening Russia's engagement in the Arctic may be a key building block in the development of the region, an over-emphasis on sovereignty issues risks overlooking the importance of economic and strategic developments beyond the region.
The role of civil society in building peace in Mali
Dr Elisabeth SkönsCivil society has an important role to play in restoring sustainable peace and security to Mali.
Sep. 13: Calculating the costs of the continuing conflict in Syria
Tilman BrückThe international community, and Western powers in particular, appear to have pulled back from the brink of a military intervention in Syria in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by the regime of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad. However, the threat of a direct intervention in the conflict in Syria, which has already claimed over 100 000 lives, remains real. Now, more than ever, we need to understand the real costs of war and the benefits of peace.
July/Aug. 13: Protection of civilians: time to rethink the concept
Dr Jaïr van der LijnIn November 2013 the United Nations Secretary-General is expected to release his next report on the protection of civilians (POC) in armed conflict. With the ongoing debates in anticipation of the report, and as the 20th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide approaches, now is the time to reflect on what the concept of POC has achieved so far, and how its implementation needs to be adjusted.
June 13: Measuring peace, security and conflict: the challenges ahead for the SIPRI Yearbook
Tilman Brück and Paul HoltomAs an economist looking at issues of conflict and security, I am constantly surprised to recall that my discipline only started to study the role of violence in the repertoire of human behaviour and interaction after the end of the cold war.
Arms production goes cyber: a challenge for arms control
Dr Vincent BoulaninWith cybersecurity become increasingly importand for state security, can it be controlled by traditional security mechanisms?
Apr. 13: The global market in natural uranium—from proliferation risk to non-proliferation opportunity
Dr Ian Anthony and Dr Lina GripMaking nuclear weapons requires access to materials—highly enriched uranium or plutonium—that do not exist in nature in a weapons-usable form. To constitute a threat, natural uranium needs to go through a challenging and time-consuming process of transformation as it moves through the nuclear fuel cycle.
Will the arms trade treaty be stuck in the past?
Tilman Brück and Paul HoltomWith two days of talks to go, the draft of an arms trade treaty (ATT) being negotiated in the UN looks dangerously likely to be a relic before it ever comes into force.