CIRSD Recommends

Want to Strike North Korea? It’s Not Going to Go the Way You Think.

Trust me: I was a nuclear strategist for the Pentagon.

Four reasons why corruption matters

More than a trillion dollars are stolen from the world's poorest countries every year, which is such a vast sum that it is hard to visualise.

The Two Camps Illusion

In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has become more assertive. It first imposed a total blockade on Yemen, despite claims that this would lead to widespread famine.

EU sets date for next wave of enlargement

The EU is preparing to pledge a 2025 deadline for the next wave of enlargement, but Balkans disputes could hold things back.

These Are The Top 10 Risks to the World in 2018

Markets are soaring, but divisions are deepening among citizens of both developed and developing countries. Liberal democracy currently has less legitimacy than at any time since World War II, and the global order is unraveling.

Coup or Hoax in Montenegro?

For those who remember the sad spectacle of Colin Powell at the UN Security Council, promoting bogus intelligence alleging Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD,) recent statements by American officials such as vice-president Mike Pence

The Killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh - Is Peace in Yemen Possible?

The Middle East being the Middle East, everything is interrelated. What happens in the region impacts Yemen and what happens in Yemen impacts the region. The crisis in Yemen, like many conflicts in the Middle East, did not originate with the power st

The Uses and Misuses of Historical Analogy for North Korea

Once you are convinced that it is August 1914 or October 1962 or September 1939, inevitable conclusions follow. But they may be the wrong ones.

Rage against the machines: is AI-powered government worth it?

From the Australian government’s new “data-driven profiling” trial for drug testing welfare recipients, to US law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology and the deployment of proprietary software in sentencing in many US courts ... almost

Al-Qaeda Slaps Around Rival Jihadis, Takes Full Control of Idlib City

The question of which is the strongest rebel group in Syria has been answered. It's Syrian al-Qaeda or Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Bank of America chooses Dublin as EU base after Brexit

Bank of America has picked Dublin as the main base for its EU investment banking and markets operations after Brexit, chief executive Brian Moynihan told the Financial Times.

Down but Not Out: How the Islamic State Could Rebound

In the wake of the Islamic State's defeat in Mosul, the fight between the organization and its adversaries has reached an inflection point. Over the past week, credible reports from Mosul — sometimes accompanied by purported video and photographic ev

Why Are There So Many Different Languages in the World?

The thatched roof held back the sun’s rays, but it could not keep the tropical heat at bay. As everyone at the research workshop headed outside for a break, small groups splintered off to gather in the shade of coconut trees and enjoy a breeze.

“Take to the Streets”: Turkey’s Failed Coup, One Year Later

It has been one year since the failed coup attempt in Turkey and — aside from the senior putschists themselves — no one has any idea what actually happened that day and night or who was in charge. Our lack of clarity about the nature of the coup is e

Death of a Jihadi Dream: The Battle of Mosul

Situated in the fertile plains of northern Iraq, Mosul finds itself in close proximity to the site of the legendary Battle of Gaugamela, where over 2,000 years ago Alexander the Great broke through Darius III’s wall of chariots and seized an empire.

How concrete can act as a sponge for air pollution

Concrete surfaces can remove sulfur dioxide, a major contributor to air pollution, from the air, new research suggests.

No one knows what will replace the so-called caliphate

It has been a long war, with many horrors. But three years after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ascended the pulpit of the Nuri mosque in Mosul to call on all Muslims to flock to his “caliphate”, Islamic State (IS) is suffering two crushing blows. In Iraq, the

Can Russia and America Work Together in Syria?

Ultimately, it will be the Assad regime and the various other proxy forces—both U.S. and Russian aligned—that will determine if the two great powers can work together.

Honking Horns Hail the Liberation of Mosul From Islamic State

Soldiers cleared explosives from Mosul’s historic quarter after its liberation all but ended Islamic State’s presence in Iraq, three years of occupation that left a trail of human misery and devastation that could cost $100 billion to rebuild.

The G20’s Misguided Globalism

This year’s G20 summit in Hamburg promises to be among the more interesting in recent years. For one thing, US President Donald Trump, who treats multilateralism and international cooperation with cherished disdain, will be attending for the first ti

How the G20 should change its approach to migration and development in Africa

The G20 is redesigning its Africa strategy. Meanwhile, migration from Africa is an increasingly controversial topic in European politics, even though total flows are stable. Many hope that economic development in Africa will reduce migration pressure

The Korean nuclear issue: Past, present, and future | A Chinese perspective

The Korean nuclear issue is the most complicated and uncertain factor for Northeast Asian security. It has now become the focus of attention in the Asia Pacific and even the world at large. Now, as the issue continues to heat up, one frequently raise

What's at Stake at the G20 Summit

Will the leaders' gathering in Hamburg find consensus on pressing global economic issues? Experts from many of the group's member states assess prospects.

Cybersecurity is becoming a worrying economic challenge. Here's what we can do

Cyber risk, long recognised as a cause for concern in the national security domain, is now also understood as a threat from the macroeconomic point of view, as an increasing share of value added is produced through ICT-enabled means.

What Trump Gets Right About the Middle East

The president has made plenty of unforced foreign policy errors. But in the Middle East, he seems to grasp what the United States can achieve and, importantly, what it cannot.

Highlights