Content

Issue Brief

Mar 28, 2022

Pakistan: The next great infrastructure connector

By Ali Jehangir Siddiqui

Pakistan sits at the crossroads of the abundant resources of Central Asia and the Middle East, and the lucrative markets of China and India. It therefore has the potential to play a significant connecting role, one that enables broader regional interdependency while boosting domestic economic prospects.

Energy & Environment Energy Transitions

Issue Brief

Mar 21, 2022

Trading in US-India data flows: Prospects for cooperation in US-India data policy

By Justin Sherman

This issue brief details opportunities for cooperation and sources of contestation in US-India data policy. It then recommends that the United States and Indian governments convene bilateral dialogues focused narrowly on achieving tangible, near-term objectives on data policy.

Digital Policy Economy & Business

Issue Brief

Mar 18, 2022

THE DAY AFTER: Anticipating trouble in the event of a US withdrawal from Syria

By Jomana Qaddour

Jomana Qaddour's latest issue brief examines the social, political, and economic implications and the challenges to US presence in Syria.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

In-Depth Research & Reports

Mar 14, 2022

Targeting Ukraine through Washington: Russian election interference, Ukraine, and the 2024 US election 

By Gavin Wilde and Justin Sherman

US officials should recognize that Ukraine’s trajectory has always been a centerpiece of Russian interference in US elections. Doing so should guide US policymakers’ observations of what is happening now in Ukraine—and their preparations for what promises to be a climactic 2024 US election cycle.

Cybersecurity Disinformation

Issue Brief

Mar 9, 2022

Defending every inch of NATO territory: Force posture options for strengthening deterrence in Europe

By The Scowcroft Center Task Force on Deterrence and Force Posture

Deterrence in Europe can be enhanced through a range of US and NATO force posture enhancements.

Conflict Defense Policy

Issue Brief

Mar 4, 2022

Techno-geopolitics and the Turkish way of drone warfare

By Dr. Can Kasapoğlu

Turkish Defense expert Can Kasapoglu analyzes the implications of Turkey's military dronization and evolution of drone warfare. Turkish drones have already proven to be capable assets in a variety of conflict zones across the region, with Ukraine being the last example.

Conflict Defense Industry
Finland and NATO

Issue Brief

Mar 4, 2022

Europe’s security architecture, transformed: Why Finland is now on a path to join NATO

By Rasmus Hindrén

Finland is now on a prudent approach to NATO membership that is likely to build on its post-Cold War approach of continuity yet also to adapt to a new European security environment.

Europe & Eurasia NATO
The next National Defense Strategy must get Russia right

Issue Brief

Feb 24, 2022

The next National Defense Strategy must get Russia right

By Clementine G. Starling-Daniels, Christian Trotti, Tyson Wetzel

The rapidly developing 2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis raises a key question for US defense policy makers as they finalize the next National Defense Strategy (NDS): How can the NDS get Russia "right"? This issue brief seeks to answer this question by developing a US defense strategy for deterring and managing the Russian threat in Europe and beyond, building upon the authors' 2021 report, "Seizing the Advantage: A Vision for the Next US National Defense Strategy."

Conflict Crisis Management
The effective employment of biometric data at US entry points has the potential to cut down on travel times and enhance border security.

Issue Brief

Jan 31, 2022

Biometrics at the border: Balancing security, convenience, and civil liberties

By Seth Stodder, Thomas S. Warrick

Forward Defense nonresident senior fellows Seth Stodder and Tom Warrick consider how US Customs and Border Protection can employ biometrics for safer, more efficient border operations.

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

Issue Brief

Jan 31, 2022

What do we know about cyber operations during militarized crises?

By Michael Fischerkeller

This essay focuses on how cyber operations employed during militarized crises are likely to impact escalation management. Cyber operations intended as offramps in a crisis could have an outcome opposite than that intended. Given the absence of direct experience, policymakers must critically examine assumptions and claims that cyber operations can serve as de-escalatory crisis offramps.

Cybersecurity