Content

Strategic Insights Memo

Nov 30, 2021

After Kabul: US and allied policy options in Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council and DT Institute

On September 1, 2021, the Atlantic Council and DT Institute ran an expert-driven matrix wargame to: (1) explore major policy dilemmas on the horizon after the US-led coalition withdrawal; and (2) forecast state behavior and assess emerging risks in the wake of the crisis. This Strategic Insights Memo captures the key takeaways from that wargame and the implications for great-power competition, regional security, and humanitarian issues in South Asia and the Middle East.

Afghanistan Conflict

In the News

Nov 23, 2021

Binnendijk and Lindley-French in Defense News: Prioritize NATO’s core task: Collective defense

By Hans Binnendijk

Hans Binnendijk and Julian Lindley-French write that traditional collective defense remains the top priority for NATO, and that it should be reflected in the new Strategic Concept to be released in 2022.

Europe & Eurasia National Security

UkraineAlert

Nov 20, 2021

Defensive Putin accuses West of ignoring Russian red lines

By Anders Åslund

Russian President Vladimir Putin's November 18 foreign policy speech to Russian diplomats was one of the most defensive performances of his 21-year reign, argues Anders Åslund.

Conflict National Security

UkraineAlert

Nov 18, 2021

Why wartime Ukraine’s defense minister must be a civilian

By Andriy Zagorodnyuk

The recent appointment of Oleksiy Reznikov as Ukraine’s new defense minister is a step in the right direction away from the Soviet model towards NATO standards of civilian control over the Ukrainian armed forces.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Nov 11, 2021

Time to rediscover eastern Ukraine’s surprisingly cosmopolitan past

By Peter Dickinson

Moscow has long cultivated the myth of eastern Ukraine as an indivisible part of Russia’s ancestral heartlands but in reality the region has a surprisingly cosmopolitan past that makes a mockery of Kremlin propaganda claims.

Conflict Disinformation

BelarusAlert

Nov 10, 2021

Gangster tactics: Poland accuses Putin of masterminding Belarus border crisis

By Brian Whitmore

As the crisis on the EU's eastern border with Belarus continues to escalate, Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of masterminding the plot to weaponize illegal migrants.

Belarus Conflict

In the News

Nov 9, 2021

Friedlander quoted in Financial Review on the growing role of foreign investments in national security calculus

By Julia Friedlander

Read the full article here.

Economy & Business European Union

In the News

Nov 9, 2021

Friedlander quoted in Financial Review on the growing role of foreign investments in national security calculus

By Julia Friedlander

Read the full article here.

Economy & Business European Union

In-Depth Research & Reports

Nov 8, 2021

Surveillance Technology at the Fair: Proliferation of Cyber Capabilities in International Arms Markets

By Winnona DeSombre, Lars Gjesvik, and Johann Ole Willers

Nation-state cyber capabilities are increasingly abiding by the “pay-to-play” model—both US/NATO allies and adversaries can purchase interception and intrusion technologies from private firms for intelligence and surveillance purposes. This paper analyzes active providers of interception/intrusion capabilities, as well as the primary arms fairs at which these players operate. The answers to these questions will allow policymakers to better understand the proliferation of cyber capabilities in the hands of irresponsible corporate actors that presents an urgent challenge to national and global security.

Arms Control Cybersecurity

In the News

Nov 5, 2021

Atwell in Modern War Institute podcast on special operations forces and great-power competition

By Atlantic Council

Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Kyle Atwell hosts a podcast on special operations forces and the future of great power competition.

Conflict Defense Policy

Experts