Security Policy
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Russia’s Warning Echoes A Hard Truth About Afghanistan
Abstract: Russia’s latest warning on Afghanistan matters because it lines up with the broader picture described in recent international reporting. The central issue is not whether Moscow has motives; it does. The issue is whether the underlying security assessment is credible. On that question, the evidence points in one direction. Afghanistan remains a permissive space Read more →
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Why Strong Militaries Still Lose: Legitimacy and Strategic Failure
Abstract: This paper examines why militarily advanced states often fail to achieve their objectives through foreign policy efforts despite possessing superior forces relative to an adversary. Based on a political-strategic model, this research argues that the political legitimacy of a state with respect to its decision-making and level of strategic coherence will determine whether or Read more →
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The Hidden Political Economy of Security Cooperation
Abstract: This paper examines how external security cooperation (SC) can reshape the political economies of fragile states. Often framed as a neutral transfer of training and equipment, SC is inherently political-economic, redistributing rents, reconfiguring authority, and altering elite bargains. The paper advances a four-mechanism framework—patronage, veto players, deterritorialisation of authority, and legitimacy—to explain how assistance Read more →
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On Rebooting An Army
Part I / II Abstract: Modern armed forces face a paradox: the longer peace endures, the less prepared they become for war. This essay develops the concept of military entropy to explain the institutional decay that afflicts militaries in times of prolonged and unchallenged stability. Using the German Bundeswehr as a contemporary case study and Read more →
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Applying The OODA Loop to Strategic Decision-Making in Business
Abstract: Strategic decision-making in business is increasingly challenged by volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments. Military strategy offers frameworks for effective decision-making under maximum pressure. One of the most prominent models is John Boyd’s OODA loop. While widely applied in military and some civilian contexts, its transfer into business strategy remains underdeveloped. This paper shows Read more →
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Strategic Relevance Of Maritime Chokepoints For Global Trade
Abstract: Maritime chokepoints are central to NATO’s collective defence and economic stability, yet their strategic implications are often underexamined in alliance planning. This article evaluates the enduring and emerging significance of key global chokepoints through historical case studies and contemporary disruptions. It assesses how control, instability, or denial at these points shape NATO’s ability to Read more →
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Surrogate Diplomacy: An Evolving Diplomatic Paradigm For New Era Geopolitics
Abstract: This paper illustrates the evolution of third-party intermediaries from crisis ad-hoc responders to credible systemic actors, i.e. diplomatic surrogates. The main argument is that surrogate diplomacy signifies a transition from state-centric international relations towards networked international relations, having more effective and systematic means of resolving disputes than traditional diplomacy in multipolar conditions. Surrogate diplomacy’s Read more →
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Back To Conscription – A Difficult Path For The Bundeswehr
Abstract: The U.S. is no longer primarily focused on the security of Europe. This is the fundamental view within the current administration under President Trump. Still, it also reflects the views of many American politicians beyond the current administration and has been gaining ground since Obama’s presidency. As a result, Europeans will have to take Read more →
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Describing The Security Cooperation Dilemma
Abstract: This paper explores the persistent tensions within U.S. security cooperation, where efforts to build partner capacity often collide with the realities of sovereignty, hierarchy, and risk. Although designed to enhance global stability, security cooperation initiatives frequently impose on partner autonomy, revealing the hierarchical nature of the international system beneath the rhetoric of equal partnership. Read more →
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Social Cohesion, Collective Defence, And The Latent Power Of Democracy
Abstract: Collective security in democracies is unviable without public trust and a publicly cogent threat assessment. Thus, it follows that democratic security architects should promote an internally-focused threat perception and engage in realistic perception management. There needs to be a greater focus on what we have that is worth protecting, and why; moreover, threat perceptions Read more →
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