ISP Brief March 2019
March 29, 2019
It's our pleasure to send you the March Edition of the ISP Brief, the monthly newsletter of the CSIS International Security Program. The ISP Brief features articles and commentary written by our scholars including analysis as published in various media sources (including video and audio highlights) and links to recent events. We hope the newsletter provides you, our readers, a snapshot of the excellent work underway in ISP, and the engaging thoughts of our experts. As always, your feedback is welcome.
Featured
The New Zealand Attack and the Global Challenge of Far-Right Extremism
The March 15th terrorist attack against two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, is symptomatic of a rising trend in right-wing extremism, says Seth G. Jones. His piece for CSIS analyzes how far-right attacks across the globe have increased because of immigration fears, far-right utilization of social media, and the inter-connectedness of extremist networks around the globe.
Photo: TESSA BURROWS/AFP/Getty Images
Strategic National Security Space: FY 2020 Budget and Policy Forum
The CSIS Aerospace Security Project and Defense Budget Analysis Program hosted Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan as a keynote speaker of their forum on March 20th. The event also included remarks from Dr. Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, a conversation with Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), and a panel discussion.
Access for What? Elevating Civilian Protection and Quality Access for Humanitarian Action in Syria
A new report from Melissa Dalton and Hijab Shah argues that the United States, other donors, the UN, and NGOs must coordinate action with firm adherence to humanitarian principles, putting Syrian civilians first, even as the United States and its allies chart political objectives to counter the Syrian government and its supporters.
Five Risks to Watch in 2019: Q2 Update
Sam Brannen's latest piece for CSIS addresses the five rising risks to governments and businesses worldwide as we head into the second quarter of 2019.
Spaceports of the World
This report analyzes ground-based space launches from 1957 to 2018, including brief histories of all active and inactive orbital spaceports, 10-year launch records for the 22 spaceports still in use today, and the current status of several proposals to create new facilities capable of supporting orbital space launches.
Russian Meddling in the United States: The Historical Context of the Mueller Report
A new CSIS Brief by Seth G. Jones highlights how Moscow has long conducted an "active measures" campaign against the United States, including trying to manipulate U.S. domestic politics. U.S. policymakers now need a forceful response to Russia's intelligence campaign.
Publications
READ - "The Change We Need: Making Defense More Future Proof through Adaptable Systems" by Andrew Philip Hunter and Maura Rose McQuade
READ - "2020 Budget: One Half Step Towards a Great Power Strategy" by Mark Cancian
READ - "Hold My Chai: Escalation and De-Escalation Scenarios in South Asia" by John Schaus and Hijab Shah
READ - "It Is Long Past Time to Stop Expanding NATO" by Mark Cancian and Matthew Cancian
READ - "Will Hezbollah's Rise Be Its Downfall?" by Brian Katz
READ - "War By Proxy: Iran's Growing Footprint in the Middle East" by Seth G. Jones
READ - "DoD and Border Security -- At What Price?" by Mark Cancian
READ - "The Tragedy of Mick Mulvaney and the War Budget" by Todd Harrison and Seamus Daniels
READ - "Training Law Enforcement in Fragile States: The Case for a New U.S. Approach" by Tommy Ross and Philip McDaniel
READ - "Penny Wise and Pound Foolish: The Navy's Carrier Construction Strategy" by Mark Cancian
Multimedia
WATCH - Todd Harrison testified before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel on "Outside Perspectives on Military Personnel Policy."
LISTEN - Seth G. Jones spoke with Peter O'Dowd on WBUR's Here & Now about the U.S. State Department offering a reward of $1 million for information leading to the location of Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden.
WATCH - Kathleen Hicks spoke on a panel at John Hopkins SAIS on how to bridge America's civil-military divide.
LISTEN - Defense One Radio spoke with Tom Karako about the future of the U.S.-Russian relationship.
LISTEN - Beverly Kirk, Director, Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative, spoke with Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation about her new book "Be Fearless" and the stories she wrote about ordinary people doing extraordinary around things to change the world.
LISTEN - Seth G. Jones joined WBUR's Here & Now to discuss the recent mosque attacks in New Zealand and the alleged shooter's attraction to the white supremacist movement.
WATCH - Tom Karako spoke on a panel at the Hudson Institute on China's military ambitions, specifically its hypersonic missile advances and how the United States should respond.
LISTEN - War on the Rocks interviewed Alice Hunt Friend along with Loren DeJonge Schulman and Steven Foster on a range of questions relating to civil-military relations.
WATCH - Todd Harrison, Director, Defense Budget Analysis discusses President Trump's $750 billion Pentagon budget request on C-SPAN's Washington Journal.
LISTEN - Tom Karako spoke with Defense One Radio's Marcus Weisgerber on all things missile-related.
WATCH - The Washington Quarterly hosted a panel discussion on great power competition featuring Kathleen Hicks.
WATCH - Seth G. Jones spoke with Nada Tawfik on BBC's Cut Through the Noise about the U.S. and Taliban peace deal, and what kind of Afghanistan will be left behind after the U.S. troops return home.
WATCH - Tom Karako spoke on Defense & Aerospace Report about the successful U.S. national missile defense test, and the 2020 defense budget request.
Upcoming Events
The Future of Statecraft
April 2, 2019
9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
CSIS Headquarters, 1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW
April 3, 2019
1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
CSIS Headquarters, 1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW
April 5, 2019
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
CSIS Headquarters, 1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW
April 5, 2019
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
CSIS Headquarters, 1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW
April 8, 2019
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
CSIS Headquarters, 1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW
April 16, 2019
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
CSIS Headquarters, 1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW
April 30, 2019
9:00 a.m. - 8:15 p.m.
U.S. Strategic Command, Offut Air Force Base, Nebraska
Implementing Innovation Series: A Perspective from Will Roper, Air Force Acquisition Executive
March 15, 2019
Spring 2019 PASCC Research Results Workshop
March 13, 2019
Women's Economic Empowerment and the Peace Corps - A Conversation with Dr. Jody Olsen, Peace Corps Director
March 7, 2019
"I don't really believe the existence or the idea of a land-based missile is inherently destabilizing. I think it's important to tamp down the rhetoric and the adjectives and the adverbs until we get to the other side of the treaty." - Tom Karako in Foreign Policy on March 14, 2019.
"There are no big pots of waste, there are little pots of waste that are scattered throughout. I would say 'kudos' to the Army for finding all those little pots of money. When you do it 186 times, you actually find some savings and use it to pay for something more useful." - Todd Harrison in The Wall Street Journal on March 12, 2019.
"Congress will be angry that it has to fund certain projects twice, but DoD will point out that failure to backfill will not affect the wall but will affect the troops." - Mark Cancian in Defense News on March 6, 2019
"Good work is being done at DHS and elsewhere to improve support to critical entitites and identify essential functions, including high-priority supply chain risks. But our adversaries are moving ahead with malicious capabilities more quickly than we are advancing our defenses." - Suzanne Spaulding in The Washington Post on March 5, 2019.
"I just think it's not true. The evidence strongly indicates the Islamic State has not been defeated. It continues to operate." - Seth G. Jones in The Hill on March 5, 2019