This Week at ISN

13 - 17 August 2012 As the international system has become more complex, it has changed the debate about transnational migration. Accordingly, we spend this week considering whether the securitization of demography and migration is an appropriate conceptual tool of analysis to use or not.

Demography, Migration and Security

STRATFOR Talks Demography
13 Aug 2012 / Special Feature

Studying demography, argues STRATFORs George Friedman, is a critical component of geopolitical analysis and strategic forecasting. In the first of a series of videos produced by STRATFOR on the ISNs behalf, he highlights some of the key demographic trends that are shaping our world. More Portraits of Modern Migration
13 Aug 2012 / Special Feature

Because of less-than-favorable socio-economic and political conditions, transnational migration is increasingly being seen as a security threat. To better understand this disputed problem and its dynamics, we present a by-the-numbers portrait of contemporary migration patterns around the world. More Immigration: Why the Hostility?
14 Aug 2012 / Special Feature

The majority of people in Western countries believe migrants create more problems for their societies than opportunities. Yet, as the latest Transatlantic Trends survey demonstrates, public perceptions of immigration in some of the largest Western states are more subtle than meets the eye. More Securitizing Migration: A Good or Bad Idea?
15 Aug 2012 / Podcast

In this podcast Khalid Koser considers whether transnational migration should be seen as a security problem or not. He concludes that seeing it as a threat may actually create more problems for the international community than not. More Securitizing Migration Europe and the MENA Region
16 Aug 2012 / Special Feature

Migration from the Middle East and North Africa to European Union nations is not a recent phenomenon. What has changed, argues Mona Chalabi, is that the EU now views the security dimensions of migration from this region through economic lenses. More Migration, Security and Development At Odds in the Horn of Africa?
17 Aug 2012 / Special Feature

In this Special Feature we look at the attempts to curtail migration flows across the Central and Horn of Africa regions. We first look at the 2012 Regional Operations Profile of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and then profile Garvelink and Tahirs exploration of the Dabaab Refuge Complex in Kenya. More

Security Watch

Threats in the Long Range

13 Aug 2012

Kanwal Sibal analyzes New Delhi's efforts to develop Ballistic Missile Defense systems, while also noting that unfavorable social and economic conditions may compromise India's attempts to counter the local threats posed by China and Pakistan. More South China Sea: From Bad to Worse?
14 Aug 2012

The breakdown of discussions at the recent ASEAN foreign ministers meeting has heightened tensions around the South China Sea. It has also prompted the Obama Administration to increase its moral and material support for its partners across Southeast Asia, writes Joshua Kurlantzick. More Predatory Cyber Crime in South Africa: Current Risks and Realities
15 Aug 2012

Social networks, smart phones and greater reliance on credit cards are making South Africa increasingly vulnerable to cyber crimes. Yet despite government-led initiatives to improve cyber-security, more information is needed to craft effective ways to combat cyber crime, argues the Charles Goredema. More A Teetering Thailand?
16 Aug 2012

Thailands southernmost provinces have experienced an upsurge in ethnic violence recently. If Bangkoks current attempts to address local problems dont bear fruit, argues Sonia Rothwell, the overall unity of Thailand may start to fray at the edges in the next several months. More USCENTCOM: Syria Analysis Part I The Israel Option
17 Aug 2012

The wider threats posed by introducing chemical weapons into the Syrian conflict may prompt an Israeli preemptive strike on government stockpiles and other military targets. Such an assault, argues Jonathan Fox, may also provide an opportunity for Tel Aviv to weaken Irans support for Hezbollah. More

ISN Blog
Europe's Immigration Challenge
13 Aug 2012

Throughout history, immigration has been identified as a major cause of social and economic woes. Yet, as Peter Sutherland and Cecilia Malmstrom show, it has also been a fact of life for many European states. Accordingly, they argue, it is time to develop sensible immigration policies that work. More The CSS at IDRC Davos
13 Aug 2012

Under the co-sponsorship and patronage of the Center for Security Studies (CSS), the biennial International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC) will take place from 26 to 30 August in Davos, Switzerland. It will bring together the worlds leading risk and disaster experts to discuss a multitude of resiliency-related problems confronting global society, writes Adam Dempsey. More Revolution in a Vacuum
14 Aug 2012

Shlomo Ben-Ami predicts the return of superpower rivalries and growing competition among emerging powers, particularly in the Middle East. These developments may lead to the United States revisiting its rebalancing strategies of days gone by. More Never Again to Genocide Trials
15 Aug 2012

The legal concept of genocide is incoherent and distorts the purpose of international law, argues Timothy William Waters. As a result, the international community should simply abandon this deeply-flawed concept and bring an end to genocide trials. More

Libya's Defeated Islamists

16 Aug 2012

The recent elections in Libya yielded up a surprising result. Omar Ashour comments on how and why the countrys liberals defied expectations and won a landslide victory over Islamists. More Energy Independence in an Interdependent World
17 August 2012

The US is becoming much less dependent upon foreign energy supplies. Yet, as Joseph S Nye argues, growing global economic interdependence ensures that it will remain sensitive to external shocks and dramatic hikes in global energy prices. More

Additional Content
Oliver Thrnert Talks Chemical Weapons
16 Aug 2012 / Podcast

The violence engulfing Syria has raised concerns about the Assad regimes chemical weapons falling into the wrong hands. In this podcast, the ISNs Peter Faber talks to the Center for Security Studies Oliver Thrnert about the challenges posed by chemical weapons, as well as efforts to counter their proliferation. More

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