Security & Defense Archives

How should the next National Defense Strategy balance terrorism, rogue regimes, and great-power competition?

Report Nov 9, 2023

Deterrence is crumbling in Korea: How we can fix it

By Markus Garlauskas, Lauren D. Gilbert

Conventional wisdom in the United States holds that deterrence in Korea is strong, but this widespread confidence is based on a backward look at long-standing assumptions that are no longer tenable, along with rapidly shifting politico-military conditions. This report explains the urgent actions required to get ahead of these changes and maintain effective deterrence.

China Indo-Pacific

UkraineAlert Nov 7, 2023

Peace is impossible while Vladimir Putin denies Ukraine’s right to exist

By Taras Kuzio

While calls to end the bloodshed in Ukraine are perfectly understandable, anyone advocating a compromise peace deal with Vladimir Putin must first reckon with the genocidal reality of Russia’s invasion, writes Taras Kuzio.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

The Big Story Oct 24, 2023

The global consequences of the Israel-Hamas war are just beginning. Here’s what to watch.

By Kirsten Fontenrose

It’s hard to predict what decisions the players will make tomorrow, but here are the early warning signs that could indicate what will come next in the Middle East and beyond.

Conflict Israel

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Content

Seizing the advantage

Mar 1, 2021

How should the next National Defense Strategy balance terrorism, rogue regimes, and great-power competition?

By Matthew R. Crouch, Ronald C. Fairbanks

Our experts explore how the United States can tackle terrorism, address the advances of rogue regimes, and establish a balance between competition and cooperation with other global powers.

China Conflict

UkraineAlert

Mar 1, 2021

Getting Ukraine’s security service reform right

By Oleksandra Ustinova and Steven Pifer

Ukrainian MPs are currently preparing a long-awaited bill to reform the country's security service. The initiative is encouraging but numerous measures are still required to distance Ukraine from the KGB past.

Democratic Transitions Intelligence

Op-Ed

Mar 1, 2021

Garlauskas in Asia Times: Kim Jong Un says ‘sorry, not sorry’

Markus Garlauskas argues that analysts should not take Kim Jong Un's apologies to the North Korean public for recent policy failures at face value and that they should stay vigilant about the tactical motivations behind such rhetoric.

Intelligence Korea

In the News

Mar 1, 2021

Drun in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs: Status quo? What status quo?

By Atlantic Council

In March 2021, Jessica Drun published an article in the US Air Force’s Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs on the implications of competing definitions of “status quo” when it comes to cross-Strait discourse.

China Politics & Diplomacy

Report

Mar 1, 2021

Report release: The future of the US-ROK alliance

By Barry Pavel, Miyeon Oh, Robert Dohner, Alexander Vershbow, Markus Garlauskas, Todd Rosenblum

In a rapidly changing environment, the US and ROK must develop an integrated strategic vision for security in the Indo-Pacific, innovative approaches to denuclearization, and responses to a rising China.

Indo-Pacific Korea

Issue Brief

Mar 1, 2021

A primer on the proliferation of offensive cyber capabilities

By Winnona DeSombre, Michele Campobasso, Dr. Luca Allodi, Dr. James Shires, JD Work, Robert Morgus, Patrick Howell O’Neill, and Dr. Trey Herr

Offensive cyber capabilities run the gamut from sophisticated, long-term disruptions of physical infrastructure to malware used to target human rights journalists. As these capabilities continue to proliferate with increasing complexity and to new types of actors, the imperative to slow and counter their spread only strengthens.

Arms Control Conflict

Report

Mar 1, 2021

Countering cyber proliferation: Zeroing in on Access-as-a-Service

By Winnona DeSombre, James Shires, JD Work, Robert Morgus, Patrick Howell O’Neill, Luca Allodi, and Trey Herr

The proliferation of offensive cyber capabilities (OCC) presents an expanding set of risks to states and challenges commitments to protect openness, security, and stability in cyberspace. Access as a Service firms offer various forms of “access” to target data or systems, and through these business practices are creating and selling OCC at an alarming rate. It is imperative that governments reevaluate their approach to countering the proliferation of OCC.

Arms Control Cybersecurity

In the News

Feb 28, 2021

Herbst in The National Interest: Resisting Russia

By Atlantic Council

Politics & Diplomacy Russia

In the News

Feb 28, 2021

Khoury quoted in Al Jazeera on the fight for Marib in Yemen

Conflict Politics & Diplomacy

Op-Ed

Feb 26, 2021

Akbar in The Washington Post: Afghans are living in terror. That must change for peace.

By Shaharzad Akbar

"It’s now been a year since the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban. Afghans were expecting peace, but one of the most tangible changes has been an increase in targeted killings, mostly unclaimed, that have created an environment of terror and fear," writes Shaharzad Akbar in The Washington Post Opinion.

Afghanistan Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding